Cars 2: The European Circuit
by Anavelg
Summary: Lightning meets stiff competition in an invitational tour of the European Circuit. Radiator Springs is taken by surprise when a Corvette racer is found wrecked in the middle of the Cozy Cone. The story of Cars 2 continues. Chapter 13 Posted
1. Intro and Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: Several characters are intellectual property of Pixar Animation Studios. Some material from the film is used, although my own subtext has been added. The characters, town of Radiator Springs and story from the film are property of and owned by Disney/Pixar. Original storyline, materials expanding scene(s) from the film, and original characters are my own.

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The sun had just peaked over the line of trees far off in the hilly distance, suddenly bathing the quiet countryside in gentle golden warmth. Everything besides the long fingers of grass and patches of wildflowers swaying in the slithering breeze stood still, holding its place in the early dawn.

The scattered homes in the countryside were quick to rise that day, despite the pristine morning deserving of attention. Something else was on everybody's mind.

In fact, this certain 'thing' had been on everyone's mind in the whole province. Not just the province, but across the entire region and other regions across the country. For weeks, cars had been streaming in from every part of Italy, Europe, and even from across the Atlantic Ocean.

Couples, families, individuals, old and new cars, fast and slow cars, the countryside had been steadily overwhelmed, just as most of the population was used at the time of year, yet there seemed to be an much greater amount of excitement for the events later that day than many could remember. If you were going to be anywhere that day, it was here in Monza, Italy.

The big race had finally come. It wasn't the Grand Prix their city was known for worldwide, but more throngs of cars and such a palpable sense of anticipation had come out to the northern country in greater force than ever before.

**Chapter 1**

"Whooohoooo!"

A bright red and yellow car flew by the drive of a country home, the sun glinting off of its shiny body and silver sticker. Its engine revved as it approached another gradual hill, ready to speed on to the next set of curves on the narrow highway.

Two grey Fiats further up the road heard the yell and the engine, used to this sort of thing. It was probably some car trying to act like a racecar on all of the curves behind them, they thought. The pair kept up their leisurely pace, talking all the way.

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Lightning McQueen had been driving for over three straight hours on all of the highways in the Italian countryside. He loved every minute of it! The curves, the hills, all of the open road, and no Sheriff to keep from going _too_ fast. So far, the day had been going better than any in a long while, with all of the last Piston Cup season still fresh on his mind. The new location and untravelled road was a welcome departure, to say the least.

"Hehe, yeah!" he said as he took the first turn of an uphill S-curve, the shoulder of the road becoming a cliff the further up he went. McQueen powered out of the first turn, taking in the great view he was getting also, and down the hill into the second turn.

_You don't find anything like this in Radiator Springs!_

Radiator Springs. He hadn't been gone for very long, but his trip was quickly pushing it out of the front of his mind. The next two weeks were going to be some of his toughest yet, but he didn't mind. He had never been to Europe before, and he was completely engrossed in all of the new things he was able to do.

A tight right curve up ahead made his tail end unstick for just a moment, but he steered himself straight in no time and finished the turn without a problem.

At the crest of another hill, he saw Milan far off in the distance, probably another hour's worth of driving to get to.

"Hmm. It's not too late I guess…. I could drive that last bit over again…Yeah." he thought out loud.

McQueen came to a quick stop and turned himself around, taking off quickly, heading back up the hill and around the last few miles of turns he had just tackled, making sure to rev his engine loudly each time he sped up.

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The sun had made its way directly overhead, and the road just wasn't getting old for Lightning. Every turn brought three more and every hill let him see huge stretches of the countryside, dotted with farms and houses and numerous small towns.

There were several places he would have loved to have taken Sally to, and just thinking about her starting pulling the seven months he had been with her into his thoughts. Actually, she was all he started to think about for a while.

_I really wish she could have come, but… _

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He saw her speeding ahead of him in the switchbacks of Ornament Valley on one of the drives they took between the racing seasons. Winter was coming around, and the sunsets had grown a deep pink-red. She led the way back up to one of the other lookouts over Carburetor County, through all of those S-curves, past the Wheel Well, and a few miles further than they had ever driven alone before.

"So are we actually going to L.A. this time?" Lightning asked, jokingly.

She slowed and laughed. "Yeah, of course we are."

Lightning smirked a bit and sped up beside her. He glanced over at her and then slowed again, under a small group of shrubs on the edge of the cliff. This part of the cliff extended far enough out past the road to where they both could park side by side, just like in front of the Wheel Well, but removed from the customers that were always around.

"Nice sunset, huh?" Lightning said.

"Yup." Sally moved a little further towards the edge of the cliff to see Radiator Springs nestled behind its signature landmass.

The sunlight was almost gone, but what was left bent smoothly around her curved sides and started to distract McQueen.

"Heh," he said, breaking the soft, silence of the few minutes they had been parked there.

"What?" Sally asked, noticing Lightning's slight quirkiness. She heard the sound of gravel scraping rubber. "Your wheels are shaking….Do you feel okay?" she asked him, getting concerned.

"Oh…yeah, I, uh." He noticed that his right tire _was_ shaking a little bit. Nervousness on his part, of course. "I guess that rock I bumped in to loosened my shocks or something…" he replied.

"Yeah….okay," Sally said, turning towards him and smiling. "So that rock….Tell me more about it. We could ask those two road workers at the Cozy Cone to move it if you want."

"Oh, no, no, no. It was out in the desert. Far. Past Willy's Butte. I don't even remember why I was out there in the first place, actually…."

Sally chuckled and nudged Lightning's bumper playfully.

Lightning smiled back, his gaze focusing on the reddish sunlight reflecting all down her sides and off of her hood and shining into her eyes. The green of her eyes and the pinkish-red of the waning sunlight drew him in. He chuckled.

Sally was looking back at him. She had a slight grin on her face as well. "Yeah…. me too," she said, looking back at him.

He waited a moment, glancing out towards Ornament Valley and back at her, moved forward and gently kissed her, letting his nervousness go.

They turned back out towards the sunset, nestled closely, bumper to bumper, until the stars came out.

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Lightning let out a slow sigh.

_But I just have to focus for now…. I'll be back as soon as I can, but I have to focus hard on these races…Soon. _

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It was somewhere around three o'clock in the afternoon when Lightning passed a small family of Alfa Romeo coupes, swerving out of the way as he came around a blind turn going much faster than they were. The father honked and yelled something in Italian, but Lightning was already well on his way.

_….Whoops. I wish I could stop... _

"Sorry!" he yelled, hoping they heard him. They didn't, because he was getting close to a half-mile away from them already.

The fences and driveways and trees he had grown accustomed to seeing whiz by just to his sides were becoming less and less common along this stretch of the road. There were also less curves to take than he'd have liked, but he was sure that Milan was not far away by then.

_It was only an hour away when I saw it….oh. That was four hours ago!_

McQueen was definitely lost.

He slowed down to the speed limit as he started to mentally backtrack his route over the last few hours. Anxiety began creeping up on him as he realized his memories were only of the turns and hills and many panoramic views instead of anything to do with where he actually was.

Lightning sped up, now hoping to find somebody to give him directions, in English.

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He had already stopped at a small café to get a quart of oil and refueled in one of the towns, but he still hadn't seen that many cars around as he thought there should have been.

"Humph," he said, passing another cluster of business along the highway, only two or three cars in the entire town so far, none of which he could get understandable directions from.

_I knew I should have just stayed on the Motorway! I could have taken the back roads when I _didn't _have to get somewhere on time…. _

He drove on to the next town, the clouds painted a light yellow and orange in the approaching dusk.

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"Hello? Is anyone here?"

_Wow…. are they_all_ going to this race? _

" Hello? No one?" Lightning asked of the empty buildings around him.

He had seen a road sign for Via Monza further down Highway SP14, which he had been on a good two hours after finding his way back to the larger roads, wondering and hoping that he had gotten lost in the right direction.

Lightning was getting closer, but had only made it to one of the larger towns near Milan, Seggiano. Nobody seemed to be around, only closed doors and empty streets. It sort of reminded him of….

"_Ciao, state cercando qualcuno_?"

Lightning turned around quickly in surprise.

"Whoa! Hey…yeah…. can you?..." was all he could get out. He was just happy to see another car!

"_Ah, parlate inglese…. _Are you looking for someone?"

"Oh good, you speak English too…. Phew, you don't know how hard it's been to find someone out here today _and_ who speaks English."

"_Si_, but I do not know a…. big amount," he responded.

"No, no, no, that's fine. I'm trying to find the Motorway. I'm on my way to Monza, but I... yeah, well I took a detour today to get out in the country, but I got lost."

The small Fiat Siena that had found McQueen listened intently, but had a slight look of confusion on his face.

He interrupted Lightning. "_Aye_, uh…. Slow down. Slow down. Hard to understand."

"Oh, oh…. Sorry," he said. "I'm trying to get back to the Motorway. I'm heading to Monza. I'm lost. How do I get to the Motorway?" he said, keeping his pace steadier that time.

_I wish I'd have known I'd be in Italy sooner…. Luigi and Guido could have helped me out a little with the Italian._

The Fiat paused in thought a few moments, but looked as if he had the answer McQueen had just spent two and a half hours searching for.

"_Si, si_. You go back to highway…. SP14, yes? Yes. And just go. You'll get to the Motorway soon," the car finally said.

"Wait a minute, which way do I go? Right, right?"

Another pause.

"Yes. _Si. Alla destra_. To the right. Ten minutes, and you are there!"

"Ten minutes?" he said.

_Wow, ten minutes! Yes! I won't miss my first race after all…._

The silver Siena smiled.

"Thank you…._Grazie_," McQueen said.

"_Prego_," he said back to him, waiting a bit and then driving off past McQueen, into the empty town and out of sight.

Lightning turned himself around and peeled out, heading back to the highway, relieved and ready for a good night's rest in Milan.

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He couldn't help but be reminded of Radiator Springs when he had driven through those empty towns a few hours ago. Nothing was broken down, but everything was closed, no car in sight for miles around. It wasn't desert, but it was deserted.

Lightning had made it to a small motel near the Motorway with just a little light left in the sky, still without headlights for night driving. He could have already been in Monza if he didn't have to stop that night, but the rest was welcome. He had driven himself hard and had plenty of fun, so the extra twenty minutes of driving in the morning were more of a warm-up rather than the last leg of the 11 or so hours he had been on the road.

He let out a long yawn, ready to go to sleep.

_Well, it's not the Cozy Cone, but what can you do?_

The traffic on the Motorway went on its way, a dull mix of wind and engine noise. Lightning yawned again, switching off the little room's lights and closing his eyes.

As he went to sleep, he let the freshly recalled memories of Radiator Springs flow freely into his dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Lightning McQueen here, and I use Rust-Eze Medicated Bumper Ointment: New Rear-end Formula! Nothing soothes a rusty bumper like Rust-Eze…"

Lightning's Rust-Eze commercial was playing on the television at Flo's. Red and Lizzie were both sipping a quart of oil, enjoying some quick time off. The population had really grown since the McQueen Racing Headquarters and Radiator Springs Racing Museum had opened up earlier that year.

"Hehe, they sure do play Lightning on the radio a lot, don't they Red?" Lizzie said abruptly.

"…look like me! KA-CHOW!!!"

"Huh?" he replied, the end of the commercial covering up what Lizzie had said.

"I said that you had better go water the flowers before it gets too late! I'd have thought you'd have done it by now."

Red made a confused look— it was noon— and just drove off, somewhat used to the sort of things Lizzie would do. But then again, she always caught cars off guard, even if they expected some sort of strangeness.

Several cars were driving through the main drag, moving along slowly and looking at all of the neon signs and their respective shops. A few of the stores had been bought and reopened once Radiator Springs had been put back on the map. The business for everyone was good, and the town had even found a few new members along the way.

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As he was driving out of Flo's, Red spotted some fresh tire marks in front of Lizzie's Curios shop. They always seemed to be there, even though he always cleaned them off.

There had been a few cars that stayed around town for a while to race against McQueen the year before, but only one of them had stayed. He made his way to Radiator Springs the day after Lightning had won the Piston Cup and raced in one of the Grand Prix circuits that Doc and the Sheriff had set up. He didn't win, of course, but he ended up staying in town even after all of the other racers had gone.

His tire marks showed up in front of Lizzie's everyday, and Red always washed them off, just as he was doing then. Flo liked the extra business he was bringing in. He needed to refuel almost every other day after all of his practice laps around Ornament Valley and he kept Mia and Tia busy while he was in-between runs.

Red finished washing away the marks and, looking contented, headed back to the Court House until he saw something else he needed to do.

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"Hey, hey! Watch out!"

"Oh, oh…I'm so sorry! Whoa!" Sally exclaimed.

She had almost knocked over pile of luggage her customers had brought in to the Wheel Well.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry. It's just that there's not a whole lot of room for five cars at once in the lobby-drive," she said almost bashfully.

"Oh, no. Don't worry. Just didn't want anything to break…." the other car said.

Sally poked around the pile of things she had almost hit, making sure she really hadn't broken anything.

"Okay, everything looks fine. Sorry about almost hitting your things. I'll just be off to get your room number down and be back to open up…your…door…."

The car and his family were indifferent, apparently focused on something else.

The husband drew in a long breath as he did a small circle, taking in the details of the motel. Anxiousness started creeping up Sally's driveshaft. It showed on her face, clear as day.

_Oh, no…. What? _

"I still can't believe we're staying at the _Wheel Well_!" he said.

Sally's face pulled into a satisfied smile, her anxiety quickly gone.

_Yes! _

"Oh…. Thank you, sir. I'm glad you're happy to be here," she said back, grinning and happy herself.

"Happy? I'm_ecstatic!_ My dad used to travel along 66 in the 50's with his parents. They stopped here every time they could! Now I get to bring my family to the very same place my grandfather brought his!"

"Wow…. Well, I hope you enjoy the night," she responded enthusiastically.

Sally started making her way back to her office, but stopped quickly and turned back around.

"And don't forget to come back down to the Cozy Cone for our Lincoln Continental breakfast!"

"Oh, no problem. If anything, I'll be up all night, too excited to sleep."

She chuckled. "That's good! Well, I mean, I don't want you to be too tired to travel, but you and your family should come down for the Neon Night Cruise tonight."

The car and his family's faces lit up. They must have heard about Radiator Spring's neon-lit main drag from the same relative who had been there before as well.

"Enjoy your stay," she told them before making for her office again.

_Wow…. I never thought I'd see someone so excited to stay here! This is so amazing…. I feel like I could have been right here fifty years ago and seen others just like him and his family…. Taking a trip down the Mother Road and stopping here in this same motel! _

Sally reached her desk, still with a bit of a smile on her face. The photo of her and Lightning at the Grand Re-Opening of the Wheel Well was propped up in a frame on her desk, surrounded by business papers and letters she had started getting from people wanting to take a trip to Radiator Springs and stay at one of her lodgings.

There they were, starting to pull the town back together about seven months ago, both of them having just met, but feeling so strongly for one another.

_So much has happened since then…. _

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"That's my hotrod!" Lizzie exclaimed happily. She, Red, and Sally were watching the Piston Cup Tie-breaker on television back in Radiator Springs, while everyone else had traveled to the race itself to support Lightning.

McQueen had just surrendered his Piston Cup win to help Strip Weathers, who had just been wrecked, complete the last lap of the race and of his career. The crowds at the L.A. Motor Speedway were shocked, both at The King's terrible crash and Lightning's aid at the expense of his Piston Cup win, and ended up booing Chick Hicks, who had caused Weathers to crash, off of the Winner's Circle stage. Their hearts were with McQueen and The King that day.

Sally was tearing in her happiness. Any doubts about Lightning's sincerity were erased at that moment, her heart pounding with affection and respect for what she had just seen Lightning do. She left the others and drove straight to the Cozy Cone, all of her emotions sending her mind reeling.

She didn't drive into her office, but Cone 1, where she shut the door behind herself. Tears streamed down her hood.

_Lightning…. I…. I knew it…. I knew you weren't being fake to us. I just knew it…._

She let herself cry on in her joy, waiting for her heart and mind to calm.

_You helped us _so_much. So much!... You helped me…. You brought the town together more than I can even remember. You... I…. I love you…. I…. But will you come back? Can you leave your life behind again? Do you…. Do you really love me? Yes. I know you do…. I remember the night I knew, but I wasn't for sure. I heard you with Mater, but I couldn't believe it at first…. And now...? Lightning, I know you'll be back…. Then we can really start things off together…. _

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The next day, Sally had refueled early in the morning and left for Tailfin Pass without saying much to anyone. She had spent the rest of the previous afternoon alone in Cone 1 and in her office, but Red and Lizzie left her to her peace. The early morning sun had not yet peeked over the cliffs of the valley, but it bathed the road into the Cadillac Range with rich orange light.

She sped through the forest and up into the rocky cliffs of the Range, headed towards the Wheel Well Motor Court.

She flew through the series of S-curves just before pulling around the huge cliff housing the motel. She stopped in front of the decrepit building, struck with awe just as she had been with Lightning there with her.

She sighed, wondering if she should go through with her idea. The commentators at the race had talked about Radiator Springs on national television, but would it make that much of a difference?

_No, I'm going to do this! I have to…. I'm going to bring this place back to life. It doesn't deserve to sit here and decay… not after all the years you've been here on the Mother Road!_

Sally spent half of the day looking all around and through the place, taking note of everything that needed to be done. It was going to be a lot of work, but after having time to collect herself the previous night, she was set on doing whatever it took to have the Wheel Well reopened.

She had parked outside after her many hours of scrutinizing the motel, letting her thoughts center on her plan. She surveyed the whole building again, a contented smile growing on her face.

The growl of an engine caught her attention. Her face lit up immediately.

_Is that...? Was it...?_

She turned around, her heart pounding with excitement and expectation.

_Stickers!!!_

Lightning was parked there, painted in the deep, glittering red Ramone had used the day he helped everyone, with the same white oval and yellow bolt as before.

"Just passin' through?" she asked coyly, her voice revealing her relief and satisfaction in seeing Lightning again.

He started moving forward. "Actually, thought I'd stop and stay awhile," he said, looking back at Sally. "I hear this place is back on the map."

Her heart skipped a beat. "It is?"

"Yeah. Rumor is some hot-shot Piston Cup racecar is setting up his brand new racing headquarters out here." Lightning was grinning.

"Really? Well there goes the town," she replied jokingly.

"You know, I really missed you Sally," McQueen said, sincerity in his voice.

_Lightning…. I couldn't have you any other way._

"Well, you know, I create feelings in others they themselves don't quite understand…and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah…." Her sentence trailed off as they moved towards each other for that long-awaited kiss.

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Of course, they didn't have their kiss right then, but she certainly remembered the night they did. She chuckled when she remembered the sight of Mater and the helicopter flying up to meet them out of nowhere.

She let out a little sigh of content as her heart relished reliving those moments and her head was coming back around the to the business at hand.

_I couldn't have had it any other way…. Well…._

Lightning could have been there at the moment, and she would have liked him to be, with all of the cars staying at both motels. It was a great amount of work that Sally had grown to handle, despite the occasional mistake or hectic situation that made it all well worth it, but having Lightning around town helped ease the work and stress.

_The business doesn't hurt, but I wish he were here to see that family of cars! I have to tell him about those guys as soon as I can…. He'll love it!_

Her thoughts coming upon that family of cars, she realized she hadn't yet opened up their door.

"Oh!" she yelped, immediately heading back out into the lobby-drive, the four cars still sitting there with their luggage.

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The sun finally set that evening, and Sally found herself back at her office at the Cozy Cone. She was hurrying through the rest of her business as quickly as possible, hoping to make the beginning of the Night Cruise. She had missed it for the past week already.

"Oohhh. C'mon…. I don't remember there being this much when I went up to the Well…."

A few of the tenants left their cones and drove over to Flo's V8 Café. They had gotten there the day before, hoping to meet Lightning and Doc during their stay, but weren't able to with either one.

"C'mon…. Its just paperwork," Sally said, flustered.

She got distracted when she heard the distant noise of an engine.

_That Corvette is still running the racing circuit??? I thought he'd have left town by now…._

She got back to work, another two tenants leaving their cones and heading into town. Sally glanced over towards Ramone's and noticed that a crowd was starting to build.

"… Just a little bit more…. C'mon!" She started flipping through all of the papers on her desk, finished with the writing at least.

She set all of the papers aside in a stack, her nerves tense but her work finished.

_Ohhhh…. Done._

She let out a few long-drawn breaths and let herself sink onto her tires for a few moments. Another car was leaving the Cone, and she saw the headlights of several cars coming up 66 from behind her desk. Sally lifted herself and made her way out of the office to cruise under the neon lights, hoping to clear her mind for the next day's work.

_Now I wonder where those four cars ended up…? _

Despite being exhausted, she wanted to give them a more private 'tour' once most of the other cars had gone. She drove out into the crowd, headed towards Doc and Mater, who had gotten most of the fifteen visitors to line up on the right side of the road.

_There they are. I hope they like the cruise…. _

Sally met up with the group in front as the first of the signs lit up, drawing all the visiting cars' attention.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Lightning woke to the sound of his room's alarm clock beeping at him. He yawned as soon as his eyes were open.

He managed to get out something like "Emmmmm…." before lifting himself fully, stretching and letting his eyes adjust to the bright light streaming in through his window.

He yawned again, still fairly woozy.

_Yeahhhh!... That was a great rest._

McQueen spun himself around to turn off the alarm clock, which was still beeping. He turned it off and stretched himself out again, getting ready for his 'warm-up' drive to Monza.

_Focus. It's all about focus. Speed…. Speed…._

He had convinced Doc to help him learn a few new techniques, but this would be the first time he had ever raced a professional track that wasn't part of the Piston Cup circuit. Although he had raced around Radiator Springs many times during the previous season, the sheer complexity of the tracks he would race was not yet clear to him.

_Focus…. Speed…._

McQueen mentally reviewed as much as he could before deciding to open up his door and drive out into the cold morning air. As his tires moved over the ground, it felt as if something were steaming, and he turned his gaze downwards, stopping abruptly.

He almost couldn't believe his eyes.

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A deafening crash of thunder sounded above all of Ornament Valley.

Sally's eyes popped open, her heart racing from the surprise of the sudden clamor.

_What? What was that?_

She heard the steady sound of falling water, pouring over the rock faces and cascading over their edges and onto the overhang at the front of the Wheel Well, from the room she had decided the stay in that night. Her nerves calmed as she realized it was a thunderstorm and nothing worse.

Sally closed her eyes, hoping to get back to sleep.

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Ten minutes later, Sally was at her desk, unable to sleep. Just waking up had made her start tossing all of the tasks of the coming day around in her head. She was looking through a stack of supply inventories, trying to bore herself to sleep.

A little strip of white light flickered through the crack under the door, a deafening crash of thunder following, causing the pictures on her desk and wall to rattle against the stone.

_Huh…. The storm's getting worse…. I wonder how everyone's doing…._

The tenants at the Cozy Cone were probably going to wake up from the thunder, as well as pretty much everyone in town. She hoped they were all going to be alright.

Her thoughts came around to the fact that Mater always slept outside, she started feeling sorry for him, but realized she had two empty rooms at the Cone that night. All she would need to do is find him and get him inside.

_He only has that small canopy over him…. I'll head out there right now…._

But she remembered that she _was_ at the Wheel Well, a good distance away from the town. It would be a very uncomfortable, likely dangerous drive heading back to the town if she were to go.

_Maybe I could call Doc? See if he'll check on him…._

She checked the time— 1:35 a.m.— and groaned.

_I hope he won't be upset…. It's pouring out there and Mater's only under that…._

Her thoughts trailed and she drove over to her phone, the quiet purr of her engine reverberating gently in the closed room. She hesitated for a few seconds, but started calling as another crash of thunder boomed close enough by to shake the doors.

"…Hello? It's late," a gravely voice started, thunder interrupting him, "and it's raining like the dickens right now! Who is this?"

Sally was hesitant to answer, feeling bad about waking him up now.

"Doc? Sorry about waking you up, it's just that…. Well, I was worried about Mater staying outside during such a bad storm and wanted to let him stay in one of the empty cones…."

Doc's engine rumbled a bit over the receiver. "Well, aren't you at the Cozy Cone? He's only right next..."

"No, no…." Sally cut in, "I stayed at the Wheel Well tonight. I was hoping you could let Mater in…."

_He doesn't sound too happy…. Maybe I shouldn't have called._

The rumble came over the receiver again, but it didn't sound as loud as the first time. Another clap of thunder resounded, making Sally's heart skip a beat in her anxiety. The silence over the line only made her feel more anxious.

_I can just drive back to town and do this…. I shouldn't have called. It's late and we had all those cars here yesterday and I would have been fine just getting myself out there and…._

"Alright," Doc finally answered. "Just tell me which one I should open up and I'll get him right in."

Sally smiled, her nervous feelings cast down.

_Thank you, Doc... Now which one was free tonight?... Was it number 3 or 4?..._

The thought turned over in her head a few times until she replied, "Number 4 should be empty, Doc…. Thank you… and I'm sorry about calling you so late, again. I just didn't want…."

"No, I understand Sally. I'd have done something if I knew about this storm coming along. I'm going out there know, while the rain is…."

She didn't hear the rest of what Doc was saying because the doors to her room burst open from a gust of wind, clattering loudly against the rock walls. Sally revved hard in alarm, her heart climbing rapidly.

Sally's attention came back to the phone call. "Doc? Are you still there?... Doc?"

He had already hung up.

She turned her attention to her doors, nerves still on edge from their sudden clamor as the wind blew them open. The drove quickly around her things to close them, but decided to peek outside, wondering if any of the tenants' doors had done the same thing.

Everything looked fine, so she backed into the room again and shut her doors slowly, double-checking the lock before heading back to carpeted area of the room and trying to go back to sleep.

Five minutes went by, but Sally didn't even shut her eyes, let alone go back to sleep.

She still wondered if Doc had found Mater and gotten him in to one of her rooms at the Cone, but her mind wouldn't stop circling around to Lightning at that point. His first race was probably going to start before she woke up again.

It had only been four days since he had left Radiator Springs for Los Angeles, but she wanted him back already. A hard week was just getting progressively worse, although she probably would have called it one of the best weeks for her business if someone beside herself alone were doing the work.

_I love you, Lightning…. _

She drifted off to sleep before thinking anything else, exhaustion finally catching up with her.

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Lightning blinked several times in sheer amazement.

Everywhere…

It was everywhere!

Every place he set his eyes on, it was there…

The entire court and the surroundings were covered in fresh and powdery snow, concealing everything he could see in a pure and shining white. Tire tracks were perfectly imprinted all around the court of the motel, some of them exposing the black pavement underneath. The snow underneath him had started steaming, so he rolled back up the ramp to his room and let himself examine the frosty landscape for a little while.

"Wow…." he finally said.

_This is AMAZING!_ _I don't think I've ever seen so much snow like this…. It must have been falling all night…._

The chilly and dry air gave him a refreshing and peculiar feeling in his engine, almost a ticklish sensation. He felt like he could go 250 miles per hour and not even strain himself in that weather.

_Man, this cold air feels really nice…. But I wonder if the track is going to be cleared before the race…. I hope so…. I may be getting pretty good on dirt, but snow? How do you race on snow?_

"Should probably get going," he said to himself, having seen all he could from his little room. McQueen hit the door switch and out into the court. He sped up and braked a few times off to the side, trying to get some sort of feel for snow, but he ended up skidding slowly each time. He thought he heard somebody holding back a small fit of laughter when he slid into the sidewall of another room.

_Awww, man! How am I gonna race on _this?_ They have to have the track cleared off or I'm not getting anywhere…. Maybe they'll cancel it? I don't know…._

Lightning dug his right tire around in the fluffy layer of snow, the treads only packing with the fresh powder and quickly melting it from the heat once his tires rubbed against pavement. It wasn't a good feeling, although the picturesque landscape, the snow having draped a clean whiteness on top of every building, surface, sign, and tree, was a welcome thing.

He shook his tires to get the extra snow out of the treads and slowly made his way to the motel's front desk to pay.

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Getting from the motel back to the Motorway proved a little more challenging that it should have been. Traffic had built up on the feeder roads because of the snowfall but there weren't any wrecks, at least. It was slow going and made McQueen overly anxious to just pull out of line and speed past them to the Motorway, but he knew he would hit skid and hit somebody.

He wasn't comfortable with snow, but he did start to get a feel for how slow he would have to go, on his tires at least, to keep himself going onward without slipping.

The A-1 Motorway was nice and clear of the snow, but it wasn't moving along that fast either. It certainly wasn't like the country highways he had found himself on the day before, but at this point, he had no other choice. The pavement was smooth and even, the road plowed and salted all along the way, and plenty of space to move around, but wouldn't have been near as exciting had there been no snow and traffic.

He needed to make it to the Monza in the next hour to register and get set up, which would have been no big deal without the traffic and snow, but he wasn't sure how far he had made it since getting on the highway.

Lightning quickly passed a green and blue MINI Cooper couple driving side-by-side to his right, a group of Peugeot four-doors, and a smug black Jaguar and his wife, a bright blue Lotus Elise, all of whom seemed upset when they saw him.

He slowed down, letting the Jaguar catch up to him, curious to know what the last few cars he had passed looked so upset about.

"Hey…. Excuse me," Lightning said. "I was just wondering what…"

"You, sir? You're wondering what I'm upset about?" the XK butted in before McQueen even finished his sentence.

"Uh…. Yeah. You and a lot of the other cars I've been passing just look at me and look upset. What's the deal? Did I do something wrong?"

The Lotus looked over towards her husband, drawing his eyes towards her, both of them then focusing back on McQueen. They both let out a 'hmph,' and then the Jaguar continued.

"You are Lightning McQueen, correct? Well, you must not have heard…."

"No, I guess not," he responded, offhandedly.

"Fine, then, I'll inform you…. Michael Schumacher is retiring, all because of that little town of yours! He's going to start his own driving school instead of race! It was all over the news this morning…."

_What?_

"What?" Lightning asked in surprise. "How is that _my_ or the town's fault?... He's stopped by every now and then for tires and some of our special events, but what gave you the idea that we're making him quit?"

_Who in the world is saying that we "made" him retire? What?_

"Ah huh…. Well, I wouldn't count on being welcomed to this little race today. I suggest you just get going and find out the rest for yourself."

The Jag and his wife both sped up, leaving Lightning behind, quite confused and eager to figure out just _what_ had gone on. The only time he had talked with Michael Schumacher was after his rookie Piston Cup Tie-Breaker race and just after he and Sally had re-opened the Wheel Well.

_A driving school is a good idea, and he's already won so many times…. But why in the world is Radiator Springs getting _blamed?

"Huh…" McQueen said. He drove along slowly, but realized he had lost precious time questioning the couple. His confusion slowly gave way to him thinking about his race, now only fifty minutes away from closing registration.

McQueen sped up and started focusing on his driving.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"You're _what?_"

A silver Peugeot 407, who had just taken Lightning's registration, gave Lightning a strange look from behind the stack of papers all across his desk space. He hadn't even looked at him since his arrival, until then.

Lightning looked confused.

"I said…. I'm Lightning McQueen. I'm supposed to race today in the invitational?..."

Lightning was in the race management office at the Monza Grand Prix Circuit, having made it with little time to spare, and he was anxious to get out into the paddocks to meet his pit crew and make all the final preparations for the race.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know that. We've got you ready to go. I meant that you're the guy from Radiator Springs, right?"

_Oh Chrysler…. Here we go…._

"I can't believe you even showed up here today. Takes a _lot_ of engine grease to come out here after all of _that _stuff!"

McQueen tensed up, laying most of his weight on his tires and tightening his face in a look of discontent.

_Great…. _

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Two knocks on the door woke Sally, her bumper in a stack of papers she had ended up taking over to her rest area earlier that morning. Her eyes slowly opened, her head all abuzz.

_Oh, man…. Last night was awful!... I've got to get out to the Cone and…. Oh! And the next two cars coming tonight…. And I wonder if Doc ended up getting Mater into number…. Number 3? Number 4?... I wish I'd gotten more sleep and…._

Another knock at the door broke her spinning thoughts.

"Oh! Just a minute…. I'll be right there!" she said, shaking herself a bit to clear her head.

Sally quickly looked around, hoping her office wasn't messy. It looked fine apart from the small stack of papers that had since scattered when she shook herself about.

She moved towards the doors, readying herself for business and putting on her perfected 'hospitality' attitude.

There was one last knock as she pulled up to the door.

"It's okay. I'm right here," she responded, unlatching the lock and pulling the right-side door open smoothly with her tires. Her whole expression was very accommodating, pleasing, and professional.

"Hi. Good morning. I hope your stay last night was enjoyable. How may I help you?" she began, almost in recitation, but ended with enthusiasm and a smile on her face. She finally looked at the car in front of her and almost blushed in embarrassment.

"Sheriff!... Sorry, I, uh…. Yeah, long night…. But no, I didn't realize you weren't a customer and so I just used my business greeting… instead of just saying hello….Yeah…," she said, trailing off in her rushed sentences.

_Could pay a little more attention now, right? I mean, yeah, it was a long night, but you're going along like it's business, but it's not…. Embarrassing…. _

Sheriff just sat there, waiting for her to calm down. He knew she would be this way after storm the night before. Sally always got so caught up in herself when she was tired or stressed out.

"Hi, Sheriff," she finally said, giving a little, bashful smile. "Sorry about that…. So! How is everything?"

"Oh, it's alright…. I just needed to get you to come back to town as soon as you could. Doc said he needed to see you…." he told her.

"Hmmm…. It's probably just about last night," she said quietly, glancing to her right, recalling Doc's mixed response to her call.

Sheriff shifted his weight to his other two tires, his shock absorbers squeaking a bit. "Well, he didn't say what it was for… Just wanted me to come up here and let you know."

"Oh, well okay. Thanks, Sheriff," she said.

"It's no problem. I think I'm going to go head out to the sign right now anyhow," he said.

Sheriff turned around and started making his way back to Radiator Springs. One of the doors in the lobby-drive opened, two young Hondas speeding out of the doorway shouting.

Sally quickly turned her attention towards them, calming herself and putting her business manner back on.

"Hey, hey, hey! Slow down, little guys. 5 miles per hour in the lobby…."

She let the two kids just drive around because she saw one of the parents coming out of the room, with the other just a few feet behind. Sally drove over to them and started taking care of their check out.

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Lightning rolled his eyes, his face in a tight look of discontent.

"Now, _what_ is going on here?" he asked emphatically, the Peugeot looking as if he were about to say something else. "Those cars on the Motorway, the guys at the entrance, the two kids in the lobby, and now _you_? _What_ am I missing, huh? Who in the world is saying that it's my fault, the _town's_ fault for making Michael Schumacher retire?! I have no idea what's going on and no one will tell me!"

The manager had a surprised look on his face. He raised his eyebrow, confused.

"What did you say?" he said. "Michael Schumacher _retired_? When? _What_?"

_Oh, you've gotta be kidding me…._

"You mean you didn't…. Yeah, he retired. Last night, I guess," Lightning said.

"I can't believe that! How could he retire? He's one of the best!" The Peugeot looked completely bewildered.

"Wait, so what were you talking about 'it taking a lot of engine grease' for me to come here? I thought you had heard about this… little thing about his retirement and were upset just like these other cars I met on the way here were."

It took a few seconds before the manager's attention came to what McQueen had said. "Oh… just earlier? I hadn't heard a thing about the retirement. I was just bein' a little hard on you since it's the first time you've ever raced here in Europe."

Lightning let out a half-hearted chuckle. "Huh, well that's nice. Intimidate the racers you invite…" he said under his breath. "Well, I guess I should get going down to the paddocks…. " he remarked, louder, hoping to get the race manager's leave.

The Peugeot took a moment to snap his attention back to McQueen, his thoughts once again centered on Schumacher. "Oh, sorry. I was just wondering about the retirement thing again," he said.

_Yeah, I noticed._

An engine started up in a room adjacent to the office they were in.

"Did you say retirement?" a voice yelled from the direction of the engine noise.

Both Lightning and the race manager looked towards the doorway. A glossy red Fiat Dino circled around the threshold and into the office.

"I thought I heard Gerald here just say something about retirement. Only two months on the job and you want to retire?" the newly arrived car said.

Gerald, the silver Peugeot Lightning had just been talking with answered. "Oh, no no no. Lightning McQueen just told me that Michael Schumacher is retiring!"

"_What?_" the Dino responded.

_Oh great. Here we go again…. I need to get out of here, not tell everyone the news all day long._

Lightning glanced towards the door, wondering how much time he had left to get ready for the race. He made up his mind. It was time to go.

"Hey guys, before you get too caught up, I need to go. _Now_, actually. Talk about Schumacher's retirement all you want, but I _need_ to get out to the paddock and meet my team."

Before Gerald could say anything, the red Dino answered. "You haven't met your team yet?"

"Uh…no. I've been in here," McQueen replied.

The Dino glanced back at Gerald.

"How long did you keep him in here?" the Dino said.

Gerald slumped down onto his tires.

"I… Not long. I mean, I was just getting him through and he said something about the retirement," he responded.

"Uh huh…. Well," the Dino started, turning back to Lightning, "you should get out there right now then. I'll make sure you've got enough time to meet with your crew."

Lightning's face lit up. "Thank you!" he said.

"Don't worry, just go," the Dino said back.

He was out of the room and making his way outside to the midfield complex, relieved and very excited. He knew he was wearing his trademark grin, mentally psyched now that the paperwork was over with. He shot out of the doors to the office building, on his way to the paddocks.

_Yeah…. Monza, here I come!_

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Sally's engine revved as she pushed herself through a hard downward right turn, the mid-morning light streaming through the tall pines all around. She accelerated fast onto the straightaway she had just reached, the shadows and light dancing all over her frame and past her on the ground. The cooler air of the forest was very refreshing, the smell of the wet pines and the sound of her squealing tires as she barreled through a few of the tighter curves a welcome addition to the whole atmosphere. She was still tired, but her head was on straight.

_Sure is a nice day for a drive…._

She felt a little less anxious about Doc wanting to see her after helping a few of her tenants check out of the Wheel Well and driving down her beloved stretch of road heading back to town. If her mind wasn't preoccupied with other things, she would have loved to drive at full speed. It was just one of those days she wanted to concentrate on the road for a little while, letting the business and the numerous little happenings slip out of her head.

The first few hills were coming up so she slowed, ready for a few of the small blind turns to come. The town was only a few minutes further now that she was out of the Range and back in the Valley.

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Sally slowed as she pulled out of the shadow of the Radiator Cap overlooking the town. Everything looked alright. Nothing had been damaged from the storm as far as she could tell. She sped back up and drove into town.

A few cars were having a late breakfast at "Eat," the restaurant that had re-opened a few months after Lightning's headquarters started up for his second season. Red was cruising down the main street, on the lookout for anything he might need to take care of. Flo, Mia, and Tia seemed busy, three cars besides Fillmore and Sarge sipping at some oil and conversing. She saw Mater tending to something at his salvage yard.

_That's good…. Looks like Mater's doing fine today._

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There was a fair amount of bustle from the visitors, but even after the thunderstorm, everything appeared to be just fine.

_Maybe I just worry too much…._

She made her way to the Cozy Cone, wondering if there was anything she could do before finding Doc.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Sally kept poking around the Cone, checking on each room for leaks or damage and tidying up the rooms that had been rented the night before. For over an hour now, she had been focused on tedious little things in her office and around the courtyard of her motel. Something about meeting with Doc was bothering her, but she couldn't really put her treads on it.

She drove slowly around number five, realizing she was trying to avoid him.

_What's wrong with you?_

Sally saw one of the coneflower plants uprooted and on laying in a streak of dirt on the pavement.

_Probably just the rain…. _

She stopped and took a second look at the dirt that, as she now saw, was riddled with dark brown pieces of the ceramic potter that it had been planted in.

_Wait a second…. _

There were tire marks running right through the mess. Whoever had smashed the pot had fishtailed into it by the looks of the curved streaks.

_They must have come from behind…._

She backed up in a circle, finding that the tracks did stretch all the way from the end of the pavement at the rear of the Cone to where she was now idling.

"Nobody saw this this morning?" she thought out loud, already piling the pieces and soil as best she could.

_I guess nobody heard it with the thunder and rain._

Sally finished cleaning up the small mess and headed back to her office. She decided it was time to just go and see what Doc had wanted to say, still confused about her worrisome feelings. There was nothing else to be done at the Cozy Cone until more tenants arrived anyway.

_Maybe it's just the lack of sleep…._

She wrote a note about the broken pottery as fast as she could and then headed towards Doc's clinic.

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The first impression Lightning had of the track was that it seemed much smaller in scale than he had imagined. There wasn't that feeling of being surrounded by hundreds of tons of concrete and steel, the thousands upon thousands of fans all screaming for their favorite racer, with the focus of the entire complex on the track and its racers. There weren't enormous video screens and thousands of PA speakers adding to overwhelming cacophony and thrilling atmosphere. There wasn't the sprawl of tents, trucks, and numerous spectators in the mid-field.

This was entirely different.

Maybe the snow was playing a bit of a trick visually, but the stands weren't that large. There could be a large amount of cars there for a race, but nothing like he was used to. It had been a quick and straightforward drive from the management offices to the paddocks and pit lane, not the lengthy and winding trip through the journalists and photographers always waiting at his trailer. The pit lane seemed the most familiar to him, though it was only separated from the track by a wall rather curving into the mid-field, hundreds of feet from the track. The pit buildings weren't very large, but they looked equipped to handle anything.

Everything felt geared towards the race in an intimate fashion, more than any speedway he had even competed on. There was something different, something that made him feel honored to even be there.

_Legends have raced on this track…. And now I am too!_

The thought excited him more than he already was, but it also snapped his focus back to finding his team. He had been parked in the snow-covered grass off of the track and a few hundred feet before the start of the pit lane for a few minutes already.

Lightning made his way into the paddocks from the edge of the track, looking for a sign or trailer or something he could recognize as being relevant to him. He was quickly lost in the frantic movement of all the other teams and the great deal of noise coming from various crewmates trying to talk to each other.

"Hello!" Lightning yelled as loud as he could. His voice was swallowed up in the sounds of revving engines and pneumatic drills coming from all over the paddock.

"I'm Lightning McQueen! I'm looking for my team! Hello!" he yelled, still looking around sporadically. There didn't seem to be anyone around that wasn't already working for another racecar.

Nervous feelings started to take hold, McQueen searching for another five minutes without any luck.

_Where in the world are these guys?_

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"Morning, Doc," Sally spoke softly, pushing open the doors to the clinic and entering only about halfway.

The Hudson Hornet was at the far side of the room, fiddling with some piece of equipment it seemed. A few metal clangs and a short-lived screech of metal on tile as Doc finished whatever he had been doing and pushed a toolbox aside.

"Morning, Sally," he said. "Just fixing up a few things while I waited…"

_Waited? Shoot…._

She hesitated.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that…. I didn't realize you would be waiting for me this whole time! I had some things to get done at the Cone," she told him, adding a coy smile in appeal.

_Not to mention the fact that you spent forty minutes just going through paperwork._

Doc had already driven around the group of machines and instruments in the middle of the room and met Sally face-to-face in the doorway. It was almost noon, and the glare from Sally was making him squint.

"Maybe you should come inside," he said, the sunlight from Sally's hood as bright as could be and shining right into his eyes.

Sally had backed up when Doc had made his way towards her, but she pulled herself inside, letting the doors close behind her, the stark white fluorescent light taking over.

"Sheriff said you wanted to see me?" she started.

_Well, I'm here…. Might was well get to the point._

Doc didn't seem to react. He was still very calm and making her nervous.

_Ummm…. _

She waited a few seconds. "Right? Sher…"

"Yes, I did," he cut in.

_What is wrong with him today?_

"Are you feeling alright? You don't seem yourself…." she said before she could really stop herself, her growing anxiety and agitation darkening her tone.

Doc waited a second or two before answering. "Me? I'm fine," he said.

He looked towards the far side of the clinic. Sally noticed a spot of oil on the tile she hadn't seen when she first drove in.

_Oil…. _

"Did something happen? When you went out to check on Mater? Nothing happened, did it?" she asked, her eyes jumping from place to place, looking for damage on Doc's frame.

_I hope nothing happened to Doc. I can't believe I asked him to go out there last night!... Mater looked fine, but Doc is acting really strange._

"Sally…. Calm down," he began.

_It did look like someone slid..._

"What?" she said, her mind catching up with the situation.

"I said you should calm down. I'm alright, but there's something I need to tell you," Doc said. "Follow me."

He motioned for her to back up out the front doors.

_I don't know what to think._

Doc pushed open the second door as he drove out into the sunlight. Sally's eyes followed him as he immediately rounded the left side of the building.

She darted forward to catch up, her reactions still sluggish in her confusion.

"Doc? What's going on?" she asked in earnest, turning the corner.

He didn't say anything, but pulled a wide turn heading into his garage. He stopped in front of the doors and looked past Sally, towards the road.

He motioned Sally closer.

She was still totally lost.

"You can't tell anyone about this, Sally," Doc said in a near whisper. He looked back towards the road again.

"Uh…. Alright," she said, before really thinking about it.

"Okay," Doc said, nudging the door open slowly. "Go in."

_What in the world is going on?_

Sally started forward slowly, spotting fresh oil stains on the pavement, leading into Doc's garage. She braked and turned her concerned gaze at Doc, but he just motioned for her to go inside.

Sally's heart sped up as she turned back towards the doors. She nosed into the open garage and stopped in her tracks.

A Corvette, unconscious and dented very badly on both sides of his body, was lying right in front of her.

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"Where in the wide world of racing have you been?"

"Yeah, where've you been all this time?"

"We've gotta get you ready as fast as possible."

"Hey, go get the tire gun!"

"On it! I'll go ahead and bring the gas cans, too."

"Lightning, stay right where you are. We don't have any time to spare, so just…think about something while we fix you up," the third car that had spoken said to him.

_Alright. Sounds fine with me._

Lightning relaxed, sinking onto his tires, trying to clear his head from the confusion he had been in.

Almost out of nowhere, the crew chief had approached him only a minute before. A few of the cars had made their way out onto the track, sending McQueen's anxiety through the roof, but his team somehow managed to find him in the chaos. He had promptly made his way over to his area, ready to get fitted for the race.

He started tuning out the noise, getting himself psyched as best as he could.

_Okay…. Here we go. Focus…. Speed. I am…._

"McQueen! Get up! We've gotta get your tires on!"

"Huh? What?" he said, his concentration broken just about as quickly as he had gained it.

"Get off of your tires, McQueen!" a second forklift yelled.

"Oh! Yeah yeah yeah," he responded.

Lightning picked himself back up, the two crew members next to him going to work immediately.

He spotted his crew chief spouting orders to the others. One of them started towards Lightning, carrying a gas can and a quart of oil.

The first tire was off.

The third forklift put the oil in front of McQueen. "Drink up. It's freezing. You don't want to seize up out there," he said, moving behind him and topping off his tank.

The first tire was replaced, the second coming off in a flash.

"Huh…." the forklift refueling him said.

"Hey, what? Is something wrong?" Lightning asked.

"Oh. No, nothing. You're just lower than I thought you'd be," he said back.

The second tire was finished.

The third forklift pulled the can out of him, taking off towards the crew chief, still speaking with the fourth crew member, without saying anything else.

The two guys still with him dropped him down and switched sides.

Lightning took a sip of oil, starting to consider the air temperature.

The track was cleared and salted, but he hadn't thought about how much colder the air would feel once he was going at high speed.

The third tire was off.

He took another sip of oil.

_Almost done…. Focus._

He saw his crew chief coming over to him now.

_Speed. Control. Focus._

"McQueen, I've got a few things I need to review before this gets going," he said.

"Yeah, go ahead," Lightning said back.

The third tire was done, the fourth almost off.

"Okay. First and foremost, you've got to remember that this isn't like the track's you're used to. You can't speed through the entire circuit or you're going off into the walls or into the dirt."

The fourth tire was on. Lightning dropped back to level as the two forklifts finished up and let him down. They sped off to meet the other two crew members who were now getting everything organized for the first pit stop.

_Okay. Got 'ya there…._

"Two; don't forget about the moisture. There's not gonna be snow on the the track, but it'll be wet. Anywhere the salt guys didn't get may be ice on the first few laps. And if you slip off the track, you're not going to be able get full traction. The snow won't be deep, but it doesn't matter at 150 miles an hour."

McQueen nodded.

_Yeah, okay. Got it._

"Three; take tires when I say you to take tires. We've got 53 laps, which may not seem like that much, but wait until you get out there. You can't squeeze out an extra lap like you can on an oval. I'm gonna pit you before they're worn heavily, but so is everyone else's chief."

He nodded again.

_Okay…. _

"Get out there! Keep your head on and don't push it too hard in this weather!" he told him, backing out of the way.

"Got it," McQueen said, taking off and pulling around the pit building. He was one of the last to leave the paddocks, but he had made it.

_I made it…. Here we go!_

Lightning's radio crackled. "Hear me okay?" his crew chief's voice said.

"Yeah. Sounds good," he said.

"Okay. One last thing…. I forgot to tell you just earlier, but there isn't going to be qualifying for this race. Alonzo, the race coordinator, decided to give position by registration order, so you're starting dead last. Do your best, kid!"

The radio crackled again, the channel going silent.

_I'm starting _last_? Have I _ever_ started last before?_

Lightning maneuvered around the other cars that had already gridded up, passing everyone else on his way. The sixteenth grid was all his.

He wasn't sure how much time was left before the race started, but the crowd he hadn't taken much notice of before was loud and excited, giving him a familiar feeling. He turned around, lining up as best he could with the growing noise from the crowd.

_Oh…. Why'd you go and notice the crowd. Now that's all you're gonna hear._

He adjusted himself again, rubbing his tires on the slick, salted pavement. It wasn't snow, but it wouldn't give the sort of traction he was used to. He started to go through his mental routine, tuning out the crowd as best he could.

The radio crackled, breaking the little concentration he had just gained. His crew chief's voice came through loud and clear.

"Lightning, one last thing. Actually the last thing this time…. You need to know, they're going to bring the safety car out for the first lap. No passing. Just stick to your place and try to get a feel for the turns. If it he thinks the track's in shape to race on, you'll start as soon as you finish the first lap. And you're gonna have to be careful. The tires we gave you should work fine, but don't try anything foolish."

"Got it…. Oh! How long until the race starts?" Lightning asked.

His crew chief laughed.

"You barely made it, kid. You're fortunate this isn't an official Grand Prix, otherwise they may not have let you race. Sure was lucky of you to run into Alonzo in the manager's office…"

_I met Alonzo?... Ohhhh._

"Wait. Is Alonzo a red Fiat Dino?"

His chief responded quickly. "Yes. He's actually the only reason I found you. He called me up and told me you'd just made the registration deadline…. Well, you were actually late, but he said something about his new manager tying you up and let it slide. He told me you should have just made it over to us, and then I found you."

"Wow…. I had a feeling I Gerald held me up for too long. Thanks for letting me know…. Oh, and how long until the race starts?" he said.

"Oh, yeah. You got, uh, eleven minutes," his chief said, letting the line go dead as abruptly as he had started talking just a few moments before.

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_Well, I hope that this chapter has whetted some appetites. It was definitely fun to have written! _

_What about that Corvette? I'm pretty sure I know what a lot of you are thinking… Guess you'll have to wait and see on that one._

_One of my friends is going to consult with me on the Formula One stuff. I began to portray it for much less than what it is, and I will be working with said friend, who has been to F1 GP races, to patch that up. I am shooting for authenticity, and I don't want to mess up one of the reasons that inspired me to write this. For racing details, I've been using other sources. _

_(if any readers are knowledgeable in F1 and spot more inaccuracies, please email me)_

_Hope you all enjoy the story so far! More coming soon…_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Doc? What?" Sally said in alarm.

She turned herself around and looked straight at Doc.

_What is it with you and secrets?_

"When did…"

"Last night when I went lookin' for Mater. He was right there next to your place at the Cone," Doc cut in. His eyes moved from Sally's and to the center of the garage.

Sally looked back at the wrecked and unconscious Corvette.

"I haven't been able to get anything out of 'em just yet. I've been fixin' him up as best I can before he wakes up and panics… So how was Mater?"

Sally shook herself a bit to bring her mind back in focus.

"Uh," she started, hesitating a bit for her thoughts to catch up, "he was fine. I was just worried last night, with the storm and all."

"Well, that's some good news then…" he trailed off in response.

Doc's sentence hung in the air much like the particles of dust floating all around, dense enough for the light coming through the side windows to bloom. What little light from the noontime sun that did make its way through the windows gave much needed illumination. The small pool of oil under the Corvette was only visible because the main doors were open, an open floodgate for the sun to stream in.

Sally looked back towards Doc inquisitively, but he was just looking over the Corvette's frame, thinking about what to do next.

She turned attention back to the wrecked car. His right side had been dented worse than the left, probably by hitting a tree behind the Cone or somewhere else in the vicinity. The _drip_ of leaking oil was faint, but it made her more anxious than the fact that there was an injured and car in front of her, now that it was silent in the small garage. She eventually turned completely towards him, hoping to get a better look at the damage.

"Sally…" Doc said, letting her name trail off just as he had with his words before. "Sally, don't worry about this too much. I've already given him a few pints of synthetic oil and patched up the worst of his leaks, but he still needs more care."

"Yeah," she replied quickly, giving a little nervous push to it. "Have you already called the hospital? It doesn't look like we can tow him with his wheels like that…"

"Sheriff took off about an hour ago. We should be hearing from him soon," Doc said.

_Okay…. Thank goodness. _

Sally let out a small sigh of relief. "Good thinking, Doc. Hope it won't be too long, though."

"It'll be fine. Besides the dents and leak, he's in pretty good shape…. Lucky he didn't cut his fuel line or bust anything besides his front axle, otherwise I may not have been able to do much to help before getting him in better hands."

Doc backed out of the garage door a bit, a look of pain in his eyes.

"Everything alright, Doc? I mean, besides this whole thing," Sally said softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine…. Just reminds me too much of my wreck…. Fella' doesn't forget those kinds of things…." he trailed off once again.

Sally looked at the Corvette once more, but turned back towards Doc. His eyes were darting to and fro as certain memories came to mind.

"Doc?" she asked.

"Wha, what?" he responded, dropping back into the present in a flash. "Oh, yeah. I'm alright, but I brought you here to make sure you knew about this before the mechanics showed up. They may want to keep him here; they may end up taking him back with them. I needed to make sure he could have somewhere comfortable to stay if they decide to work on him here."

Sally made a puzzled face as she tried to recall her current bookings. "Well, I'm glad you told me now rather than later," she said. "Actually, I thought you were upset at me for bothering you so late last night."

She felt a little skittish for letting it out, but decided it was best to let go before things got more complicated and everyone else found out about the wreck.

Doc didn't really make a motion, but just responded, "No, no. I was a little aggravated at first, but I wasn't going to just say no to you. It turned out best that you called, otherwise this guy may not be running today." His voice felt reassuring.

Sally replied, after a moment, "Thank you. I guess I just worry too much sometimes…." Her relief was all over her expression. Her lips curled into a small smile as she turned herself towards the door.

"I'm gonna go find some more tools while I can. You should probably go finish up at the Cozy Cone while you can, too. As soon as the emergency techs get here, we're going to have our hands full for the rest of the day," Doc said, backing all the way out of the garage door to let Sally through. "He's going to be fine for now."

"You sure?" she replied. She gave the wrecked car one final look.

"Yeah." Doc answered.

_Okay…. Well I guess I could go clean up the Cone while I have the time…. Maybe I'll come back here just in case. Doesn't feel right just leaving him here._

Sally pulled out of the garage and back into the glaring noontime sun. Her eyes adjusted quickly. Doc nudged the doors shut and drove around Sally, headed towards the main road.

"You should probably get some rest while you're at it," he said before rounding the corner and going back into the clinic.

Sally waited a moment, but finally started towards the Cone.

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The noise at the track was utterly deafening.

Second by second, the crowd in the stands was growing larger, all sorts of cars making their way up the service ramps to their seats. Names that Lightning had never really heard of were being shouted from all around, the racers themselves giving little gestures back towards the fans as they heard their names. Nobody on the track moved from their spots, but there was still plenty of motion as some of the racers stretched their suspensions or nodded while talking to their crew chief.

Lightning wasn't used to _not_ hearing his name being shouted by the crowd, but he figured it was for the best—by the end of the race, everyone at the event would know who he was and have heard about the retirement of Michael Schumacher.

Suddenly, the roars of turning engines cut through the constant wave of sound from the crowd. Lightning started up and revved himself, the sound of his own engine joining the others. He couldn't really hear the crowd anymore.

_Okay…. Getting close. Getting close._

The quick flashing of orange lights up ahead caught his attention. A sleek, silver Mercedes-Benz had come out of the pit area while Lightning was concentrating—at least, trying to concentrate—on the beginning of the race. It had taken position in front of the readied racers and turned on its lights to signal that the race was beginning in one more minute.

The crew chief's voice suddenly crackled over the radio again. "Lightning," he began, "you're engine's running really cold right now. You won't be going full speed on the first lap, but you're not starting this race with a cold engine. I want you to keep a steady rev until…well, you've only got thirty seconds now. Midline and steady. Good luck, kid."

Lightning revved up steadily and took his best shot at a final mental prep.

_Speed. Control. Focus. C'mon…. Almost ready to go._

He glanced ahead for a moment, the safety cars lights still flashing orange.

_Any second now…._

The anticipation almost made him forget about the weather conditions.

Lightning revved his engine and started forward as he spotted the lights of the car go green, but his back tires started slipping immediately.

_Whoa, whoa!_

He let up a little bit to let his tires catch the pavement. The crowd's enthusiastic cheering was audible to McQueen again, able to overcome the sounds of the racer's engines. It wasn't a burnout start, after all.

The racers in front of him started off smoothly. Lightning's nerves calmed as soon as he steadied himself and caught up, tailing a dark blue BMW in the position before his. It felt good to be racing after all of the time it took him to make it to the track. Just as it had that morning, the chilled air felt extremely soothing to his engine as the safety car and the pack sped up on the opening straightaway.

Before long, through, he saw the safety car and its blinking lights slowing and making a smooth maneuver into the first chicane. He also saw the first patches of snow bordering the track, beckoning the first car to make a mistake or lose traction and come sliding off . Lightning slowed up along with the cars in front of him and readied himself for the first turns.

_Okay….not too bad here. No ice so far._

The first half of the pack had already exited the opposite turn just beyond the one Lightning was entering. McQueen turned his tires into the turn and felt a slight jostle of his suspension when one of his front tires hit a tiny patch of ice and lost traction.

_What the?_

He passed the ice and was already headed into the next turn, pulling himself quickly to the left around a tight curve. There was a small bend ahead, but he and the rest of the pack exiting the second turn were already speeding up. The track curved off to the right ahead of them. They continued to speed up. There didn't seem to be any patches of ice around this section of the track although the snow banked up against the outer walls of the track was substantial. It felt a little wet as he started pulling into the long right-hand curve.

Lightning kept on with the pack, taking note of the patches of ice and wet spots along the way. With a lap or two, the ice would melt away, but the water would stick around. The slick spots were off of the racing line, but they could certainly send come into play once the race really began.

_I like this… _

He and the BMW pulled out of the long bend smoothly and kept right behind the cars in front of them.

_Tires are gonna go fast though._

The crew chief's voice interrupted once again. "McQueen. Just want to know how the track feels out there," he said.

"Um… There's only been a few patches of ice so far. How far through the track am I?" he asked in return.

"You've only gone about a third of the way. Keep focused," he said, the radio crackling at the end of his sentence.

Lightning just let him go.

_Kind of distracting for a crew chief…_

The next two turns were already behind him, and the next one had the safety car and the rest of the pack moving at about 70 miles per hour as they pulled through it.

So far, Lightning felt pretty good about the race. He'd been nervous most of the time he had been in Italy, though he didn't really show it—especially after finding out that most of Europe was going to hate him for a false reason by the end of the day. He turned into the sixth turn of the track and took in a big breath of air, the chilling and soothing feeling keeping him fresh as the first lap carried on.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Sally sat and stared at paperwork in her quiet office. It was almost 12:30 and nothing had happened since she and Doc left the garage. It was getting harder and harder for her to stay put at the Cone with each tick of the clock, but she stayed. Her left tire shook in tense anticipation and restraint.

_Who knew that today would turn out like this? _

The weather was cooler and windier than normal after the storms the night before, but there didn't seem to be anything special going on. Everyone seemed to be inside, except for the usual pair of Sarge and Fillmore parked at Flo's. There hadn't been any new customers yet, and all of the visitors except the family of four she had spent time with the day before had gone.

The silence and stillness of her office provided a perfect opportunity for her thoughts of Lightning to make there way to the forefront. No business, no new visitors, nothing else going on…

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"Sally? Sally? Hey, are you in there?" Lightning asked through the darkened Wheel Well office doors.

Sally stirred a bit, her tires rubbing the carpet beneath her. Lightning was already turning out of the lobby-drive when he heard the shuffle.

_…Hello?..._

Her eyelids tried to stay open, but she only caught glimpses of bright light and moving shadow coming through the open doors.

"Hello? Sally?" he asked, poking through the doorway a little more this time.

_…Morning, Stickers…_

She made a few unintelligible mumbles and shuffled again. Her eyes closed.

McQueen stayed in the doorway a few moments then made his way inside.

Sally's sleep broke once again, but she wasn't quite ready to wake up.

_...A little longer, a little longer…_

All that ended up coming out of her was another batch of mumbles.

Lightning saw her eyelids fluttering, her body shifting as she tried to shake off her lethargy in the grand struggle to awaken, the cute little mumbles she kept on making, and smiled.

Sally's eyes popped open when she felt Lightning kiss her softly on the cheek.

"Hey, Stickers," she said slowly, before letting out a long and loud yawn.

Lightning backed up a few feet and shifted his weight onto his rear tires as Sally shook herself a little and let her eyes fall on his own. They both gave a little smile to the other.

"Good morning, Sally," Lightning finally said. He backed up and moved out of her way, but stopped as she moved up and gave him a soft kiss as he had to her.

"Morning," she returned coolly, her face pulling into a soft grin as she turned and moved towards her desk.

Lightning started to say something, but forgot what it was going to be.

Sally saw his look of confusion and chuckled.

"What brought you out here so early?" she asked him.

_I already know what you're going to say._

Lightning took a few seconds to regain his train of thought.

"Heh. I forgot was I was going to say at first…" he started. He glanced back towards Sally, who had turned from her desk and was facing him. "Well, I came out here because… You know."

"Know what?" she asked. Yet her eyes gave away anything she wasn't saying.

"Just came by to see you, that's all," he replied.

_Yep. That was too easy… _

Sally grinned again and moved towards Lightning.

"Huh, well, what'd you come to see more for?" she asked, letting a flirtatious air come into her words.

"Um… " he began, but stopped. "Well, uh. I thought we could take a drive back to town? No, no, that wasn't it. Wait."

Sally moved closer and kissed him.

"You sure?" she said.

"Well, there was something Flo and Ramone wanted me to show you. It's not super important… Okay, yeah. They're not even going to have it ready until this afternoon…. You're good," he said, giving Sally a look of curiosity.

_That's right. _

"I just know you too well, Stickers," she responded. "C'mon, let's take a drive. I'm awake now after that little kiss," she continued, nudging McQueen with her last few words, "and it's still early."

"Yeah," he started, "but we've got to get back to Flo's before too long."

_Now I'm going to be wondering what it is the whole drive… You know me too well, too._

"I wouldn't worry about that…. But they'll be there, right?" Sally asked in return.

"For this… yeah," Lightning said back, almost teasing after picking up on her interest.

They were both outside now, the crisp oranges and pinks of the sunrise bathing the sky with their colour and giving Sally that pinkish tint that Lightning loved so much. It was still cool, as the sun was still behind the ridges of Ornament Valley, and the air felt fresh. Sally took in a long, deep breath before turning her engine.

She rolled out to the overlook, Lightning tailing her casually.

"I love this place," was all she said.

Her eyes scanned the horizon while Lightning pulled up beside her and scoped out the landscape as well. He didn't put it on, but this view wasn't actually his favorite one—it was actually the one further up the range. It was still serene in that early morning weather parked right next to Sally, and he enjoyed every second of it.

Lightning leaned his side into Sally as they spent a few minutes more just taking in the grandeur of their little town set in the valley.

"Ready for that drive, Sally?" McQueen whispered.

"Yeah…. Always makes me feel so… happy coming out here in the morning."

"I know," he said. "I didn't want you to miss it."

_Lightning…_

"Thanks, Stickers."

She backed up and kissed him on the cheek, but stopped moving once she did. She couldn't help but fix her attention on Lightning right then, suddenly aware of what he had was going to do that day.

_So that's what all the planning is for? Is he? It's only been six months… and the next season's about to start, but… I don't know… Maybe he is… He has to be… But would he _today_? Why not on the weekend? I… We'll see. _

"Are you alright?" Lightning asked, noticing Sally looking over him and then turning her eyes away quickly.

"Ye… Yeah. I'm fine… Just had a thought about something, that's all," she reassured.

Lightning moved towards her, his concern becoming apparent, but she closed her eyes for a few seconds then kissed him quickly as she popped them open again.

"Okay… How about that drive, Stickers?"

Lightning moved in for a kiss and stopped short, leaving Sally in an almost goofy position with her lips parted.

"You bet," he said quickly, turning his engine and driving onto the road.

_You…!_

Sally looked back at him and grinned, shaking her head.

"What are you waitin' for?" she said with a smirk.

_Forget that I've won the last four times? _

Lightning made a ponderous expression then said, "Well, I thought I'd wait for you, but if you insist…"

He peeled out and rounded the first turn of the cliffs before finishing his sentence.

_Some things never change… _

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"Sally Sally! Ms. Sally, there's customers! They's comin' up the road right now!"

"Huh? What?" Sally said, blinking fast and disoriented. She was back behind her desk at the Cone, the memory interrupted by Mater's enthusiastic yelling coming from outside.

"Mater? What'd you say?" she said, rounding her desk and peeking her front out the doorway.

He rattled a bit as he turned towards her and said, "They's customers comin' right now Ms. Sally!" still yelping.

_Here we go…_

She turned and looked down the highway and spotted several white and red frames shining brightly in the afternoon sun, but there was also a familiar black car just ahead of them.

"Wait a minute… Is that Sheriff?" Mater asked. "And what about those other guys?"

"Uh… I. I don't know. Um… I'll go get Doc."

Mater inched forward to let her pass as she made the quick trip to Doc's clinic just across the street. She pushed the doors wide open, finding Doc parked next to a rolling toolbox and a few cans of synthetic oil.

She didn't say anything; Doc just pushed the toolbox towards her and out onto the street then made his way onto the road.

"Mater!" Doc said. "I need you to go to Flo's and get me a few cans of light oil as fast as you can."

Mater turned around, giving his usual inquisitive look.

"I don't have time to explain right now…" Doc continued.

"Ummm. Okay," Mater said, driving past the two of them without another comment. He wasn't going to be silent at Flo's and Doc knew that.

"Alright. Sally," he began," I need you to clear out a spot at the Cone before they start working on that poor fella'. They called about five minutes ago and said they wouldn't be able to take him someplace else, so they're gonna have to do it all here. He'll need that room as soon as they're done."

Sally nodded. "Okay. I'm on it."

She headed back to her motel and opened up the first cone that came to mind, headed inside, and dragged the carpet from the room.

_That was quick…_

She closed the doors and then met Doc outside his garage, the group of cars just passing the Drive-In.

"Stay calm and do what I say. This is gonna turn out alright…"

Sally tried to slow her rapid-fire thoughts and pounding heart quickly, but Sheriff and the three white and red vehicles drove up and stopped in front of her and Doc before she had a chance.

Sally backed up along the side-wall, out of the way.

"Boys, he's in there," Doc said, motioning towards the old garage doors and backing out of the way himself.

One of them drove up to the doors and opened them without a word.

"We'll do our best," the second of them said before entering behind the other.

The third, an ambulance, popped open his back and let several boxes of equipment and parts roll out onto the pavement. He pushed one of the smaller ones into the doorway and then parked, obscuring the view inside.

"Guess it's time to tell everyone else…. Sally? Sheriff? Let's head on over to Flo's."

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	8. Chapter 8

_You don't have to do this, but I recommend resizing your browser window to the size of the dashed lines. This is the width of the original writing and helps with the overall flow when reading, rather than the extended length FFnet normally displays in. Enjoy the chapter!_

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**Chapter 8**

Pulling into another straightaway, the safety car and the other racers began to speed up after the quick sequence of turns just before. Lightning and the now familiar blue BMW in front of him followed closely, keeping with the rest of the pack as they accelerated. McQueen saw the silver Mercedes leading them disappear into the next turn.

He kept pace with them, eager to start running at full speed in the next lap.

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The three of them pulled around the corner of Doc's clinic, heading towards Flo's briskly. They could hear Mater's excited voice clearly as they drove.

_Sounds like we have everyone's attention_.

Everybody parked at Flo's looked surprised as Sally, Sheriff, and Doc came driving onto the lot.

"Doc, what's going on?" Flo asked quickly.

"Yeah. Tell us, man," added Ramone.

There were a few squeaks of rubber on pavement as everyone shifted and focused their attention on Doc.

Doc took in a long breath and waited just a moment before speaking. "Well, last night during the storm, Sally called me. Wanted me to check on Mater and let him into the Cone. Mater was fine," he said, the attention shifting for a moment but returning to him.

Sally glanced around quickly, wondering what everyone would think once Doc finally explained the situation.

Doc continued. "When I was heading back in, I found Corey wrecked in the middle of the Cone."

Gasps and general looks of astonishment ushered Doc along.

"I brought 'em into my garage and started working on him for the rest of the night. Leaks, a broken axle, dents, you name it. I couldn't fix it all, so we called the hospital and brought them here this morning. They're working on him right now," he said.

Sally backed up and turned herself towards the garage.

"Nobody heard his crash?" asked Sarge. Fillmore, parked next to him, wore a blank but concerned look.

She looked back at everyone for a few seconds and began to drive off.

"I guess not; not with all the thunder and…" she heard Doc say, but lost as she moved too far away to hear. The conversation was replaced with the sound of grinding metal and power tools coming from behind Doc's clinic, the emergency technicians well underway with their repairs.

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Lightning could see the pit garages and grandstands rushing to meet him as he made his way out of a long right curve, the last leg of the circuit. The safety car's green lights abruptly disappeared as it peeled into the pit lanes.

"Green light, McQueen! Get going as soon as you cross the starting line," the crew chief radioed before he even thought about asking.

_Yes!_ _Here we go…_ He smiled and held close to the car ahead.

The crowd erupted into yells and cheers as the first of the pack crossed the starting line and burned out, his engine revving loud and high. A second roar joined the first as the next racer crossed, followed by the sounds of several more quickly after. It was time to race.

Lightning's pace quickened as the gaps widened between the racers in front. The blue BMW crossed at last, the deep growl of his engine making Lightning's oil bubble with excitement in the moment before he crossed the line himself.

Revving hard and full of adrenaline, Lightning's tires squealed as he burned out in pursuit. He pulled to the left side of the track and passed the BMW immediately, getting a quick look of surprise in return. The crowd cheered ever more loudly with the first overtake of the race happening right in front of them.

The pack was still pulling away as McQueen was getting up to speed, but he could already see the first turn a few hundred meters ahead.

_Alright, time to move up._

He pulled behind the next car of the pack, a grey and navy blue-striped Aston Martin, heading into the first turn of the circuit, much faster this time than before.

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A glint of light sprinted across the interior of the garage as Sally nosed herself in the doorway. One of the technicians turned towards her, distracted by the flash.

"Hey? What are you doing? We've gotta get this guy fixed up fast. Let us be," he said, turning giving her a hard glance and returning to his task.

The other stopped for a moment and gave a fleeting amount of attention to Sally before he backed up and started pumping a jack underneath the Corvette. She backed up a bit, checking around outside for the ambulance, but couldn't resist herself to stay.

_What are you doing?_ Sally tried to clear her head but she unthinkingly pulled up alongside the other two cars before she really knew what had happened.

Corey was propped up now, his front axle clearly broken. They had wrapped some dark material around the rear section of his frame to absorb the still dripping oil and preserve some modesty, but the rest was clearly visible.

"How did he break his axle?" Sally asked.

"What the?" the two of them said in surprise, dropping their tools.

"Hey! I thought I said to let us be. He's got some really bad injuries and we need to work fast; otherwise, he'll be out in the junkyard by sundown," the first tech said.

She kept a straight face, focused on getting an answer. "Sorry, I'm just curious. I mean, he ended up outside the doors of my place and no one knows why," she replied.

The first car grumbled. The second had already gotten back to attending Corey, shuffling through a small box of tools to the side.

"By the looks of it—and we're just now seeing this same as you—he spun out somewhere along the road and smashed his side. A tree, a pole, maybe a small boulder. However he had his wheels turned, the alignment was just right to cause a break even though he crashed with his side." He turned and examined the axle for a moment.

_Huh… But Doc found him out in the middle of my lot. _

"That's strange…" Sally started, "he must have been wildly out of control to get where we found him."

"Where'd you find him?"

"In the middle of my motel drive. It's next to a group of trees, so I guess it makes sense. I'm just surprised that all he hit was a potted plant on the way," she said.

The tech seemed to be thinking of something else before she had finished speaking. He was still looking over the broken axle, leaving Sally apart from the situation just as abruptly as she had been a part of it. For some reason, she felt sad.

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"What? The American!?" the Aston Martin cried.

Lightning's rear wing was in his face as they both came out of the first turn going just under 70 miles per hour. Lightning had managed to reach 165 out of the gate, but had quickly dropped his speed for the chicane. The Aston Martin had braked early, sending Lightning right past him as they entered.

McQueen couldn't help but chuckle a little bit at the racer's reaction. _So this is what Sally felt like that first drive to the Wheel Well. _He quickly set his thoughts back on the race before any fleeting recollections could send him flying off the track.

He started pulling himself right again, the second turn already under his tires. He was trailing the next car by a half-second, but the next few racers were all attempting to overtake one another and losing speed on the outer lines of the turn. Lightning sped up a little, capitalizing on the position battle just ahead.

The force on his tires was getting stronger as he sped up through the long Grand Curve, but he found himself behind the next three racers in no time. _Not bad for only three turns_ _in._ McQueen exited the turn at about 180 miles per hour, coming nearly fender-to-fender with the battling racers in front of him.

Heading into the short straight, one of the three tried to pull left and speed up for the advantage leading into the fourth turn. Lightning followed suit, nosing himself just far enough forward to force the other two cars to take a wider line in the turn. Lightning and the red Ferrari he had just fallen in with braked hard for the quick left and gained over the other two before following up with a quick right and getting back up to speed.

Staying in his new position, Lighting finally had a good view of the rest of the pack coming out of the seventh turn. The leader was a good five to six seconds ahead even though it was only the first full-speed lap. Everyone behind him looked dug-in to their positions already, keeping pace and not attempting to pass all the way to the first straightaway.

The second lap ended with Lightning in a solid twelfth place, but he managed another quick bump up the list at the end of the straightaway, edging out a sleek black Mercedes convertible leading into the first turn as he had the Aston Martin.

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_Why are you doing this?_

Sally took a few long breaths and tried to suppress the little surges of emotion she knew would make her cry if she didn't. Her tires trembled.

_Crying?_

"Hey," Sally said, breaking the near-silence.

"Wha, what?" the tech said back, his focus on Corey interrupted.

"I said that there are trees around my motel that he could have hit before sliding out onto the drive," she explained again. "He practices these circuits leading all around the Valley almost everyday, but during a storm?" she asked.

The tech was quiet for a few seconds, thinking.

"Well, I just don't have an answer beyond what I see right here. I mean, I'm sorry I can't explain it, but I didn't see it happen. I never see these things happen, I just see the results. Everyone always seems to start asking questions when they see us working and I just can't answer them all," he said.

Sally stayed herself for a moment. She felt her emotional defenses crumbling, and still had no idea as to why. She just had the urge to cry and be upset.

"You… why…. Ugh…," she said. "I'm just... I don't know. I'm just trying to make sense of this."

She edged herself out of the garage as fast as she could manage. The tech slumped onto his frame as she left.

"Why do they always do that?" he said after the sound of Sally's engine faded enough for his comfort. "I can't answer a question and they get upset. I don't say anything and they're still upset. I start talkin' and still they just get upset. Get upset and cry when they know just as much as I do…." He shook his head before closing the doors and turning himself back towards the wrecked car.

The second mechanic looked up from the leaks he had been patching.

"That whole husband and wife thing…," the first tech mumbled, rolling a small canister and some adhesive wrappings from the pile of tools over to the exposed underside of the car. He cleared his head as best he could and set himself to work again.

The other tech said nothing, delving back into his own tasks as well.

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Sally nearly stomped on the switch to close the door to Cone 1 when she made her way inside.

_My_ _god, what is wrong with you today? _Sally sunk onto her tires and felt the first few tears wetting her hood. _You don't even really know this guy. You just know he raced in the Grand Prix and lost to Stickers. You were concerned about Mater and the storm, but you get this messed up situation instead. Worried about this thing and here you are near obsessed with worrying about something else. Something bad, but not to be this upset over…. _

She cried.

_Why? You had a ton of customers and had that great family here just yesterday. You've had great business for the past few weeks. The town's been doing great. I've been doing great. This guy that raced Stickers… He wrecks and ends up in the middle of my motel. No major damage, except for him. Practicing a circuit in a storm like that one? Just to race against Lightning. _She felt a little more at ease, only sniffling after a minute or two.

_Lightning… Hope you're doing well. Maybe I'm not doing so well._

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Ten laps in, McQueen and the tail of the red Ferrari in front of him stayed in the same places. He was surprised at how well the track was beginning to feel with the patches of ice melted and the slick sections drying with every pass. It was hard to believe that just inches from the pavement, snow, sand, and dirt were waiting for anyone that managed to get himself there.

McQueen's radio crackled as he was heading through the seventh turn. "McQueen," the crew chief said.

"Yeah?" he said back.

"The BMW team is calling in a pit stop for tires. How's the road?"

Lightning pulled into the series of turns eight, nine, and ten. The Ferrari held tight to his racing line, keeping McQueen just behind him.

"It's getting better. I don't see anymore ice." McQueen said.

"Good, good. They may be switching to harder tires. What about slicks?"

Lightning burned out coming out of the tenth turn, trying to pull inside for the next turn.

"Yeah, yeah. Just a few," he responded.

"Okay! Ferrari and Mercedes just called in stops. We're pitting," he said quickly, dropping the line.

McQueen slowed, pulling back behind the Ferrari as he hit the turn. He thought he heard a chuckle come from ahead.

_That was a fast pit call _he thought, pulling out of the turn and into the pit lane, braking and keeping himself steady on the wetter pavement of the pit road. The Ferrari pulled off, leaving McQueen a direct path to his garage. He pulled in and stopped, the first few of the pack already on their way out by now. His crew went to work at a maddening pace.

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	9. Chapter 9

_You don't have to do this, but I recommend resizing your browser window to the size of the dashed lines. This is the width of the original writing and helps with the overall flow when reading, rather than the extended length FFnet normally displays in. Enjoy the chapter!_

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**Chapter 9**

Sally sat alone in Cone 1, looking over the various themed decorations with a disinterested gaze. The Eiffel "Cone" by the window wrenched a slight chuckle out of her when she saw it. _Wonder when we'll go to Paris, _she thought. She sniffled and took a deep breath, taking a look out the window. The ambulance drove by, headed back towards Doc's garage.

_Huh, where was he? _She let the thought go quickly though, sure she had just passed him without noticing. Sally backed up a little bit, sweeping the room again. _Where's the carpet?_ She glanced at the bare floor and remembered that it was sitting outside. _I think I'll put it back. Get a different room ready. It wouldn't feel…right._

Sally turned herself around and stepped on the door switch, the sunlight flooding in. She drove out and blinked a few times, pulling the carpet back in with her. She made her way back out and arranged it to her liking.

_Cone Six should do just fine. _Sally drove over to the sixth room and pulled out the carpeting. She closed it up and went back over to Cone 1. Her body was shaded inside once again.

She sighed as a few thoughts of Lightning ran through her head. _He's been gone for longer than this before. What's so different this time? Stress…I guess. _The rationalization didn't erase the feeling of interest, at least as far as she could put a description on it, she was having for the wreck of a car laying unconscious in Doc's garage. _Lightning, I love you, but what is this? It's nothing… It can't be anything. _

She took to examining the radio. "Fixing," she said, almost unconsciously.

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It was going on 12:45 before she decided to leave the room and head back to Flo's. _I hope I wasn't gone too long_, she thought. _I just needed some time to think. _

The sunlight greeted her as she opened the door and drove back outside, letting the growing sound of voices lead her on. Mater spotted her first, giving a little shake in surprise.

"There she is!" he said, excited.

Everyone she had left was still parked at the Café. They all turned towards her as Mater announced her return.

"Hey everyone," Sally said, looking from person to person as she pulled up behind Sheriff and Doc. Red and Lizzie had joined them while she was at the Cone.

"How are you doin' Sally?" Doc asked as she drove around them, joining their circle.

"I'm alright," she said, her voice steady and unassuming.

Doc nodded. "That's good," he said.

"Yeah, I just took off earlier. I know…" she said, talking to everyone now. "I wanted to see it for myself. I didn't like taking off and leaving him alone." Doc looked like he was concentrating on her words.

"Well how is he doin'?" Ramone asked.

"Okay, considering the wreck," she said.

"How is he?"

"Did he break anything?"

"How'd he crash?" Flo asked, following Sheriff and Mater.

"Huh?" Sally said, suddenly swamped.

"Did he break…"

"How is he?"

"Hold on, hold on…" she said. It again fell silent. "He's doing alright, I think. He's unconscious, but they're working as hard as they can."

"He broke his front axle," Doc said. "It's bad, but it's fixable."

"And I don't know how he crashed. I mean, I guess he was practicing the town circuit when it happened, but I don't know why he'd be doing it in that storm," she said.

"We'll have to wait for them to finish and him to wake back up before we know anything more," Doc said, punctuating the conversation.

Sally relaxed, slipping neatly back into the group as they moved on to other topics.

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"Clear!" one of the pit crew yelled.

McQueen dropped back onto road and took off as fast as he could. He could already feel the difference in his tires on the way out, finding himself in position behind the red Ferrari again. _I've gotta pass this guy, _he thought, crossing the pit road line and accelerating hard.

The crew chief's voice came over the radio once again. "We're riding harder tires now, McQueen. The whole field switched out on that stop, but be careful."

Lightning said nothing in return as he pushed himself through the straightaway, unable to best the Ferrari's speed. They both passed the eighth-place car before heading into the first turn. McQueen barely made out a grumble coming from behind him before the intensity of the crowd's cheering rose as they saw the big overtake.

Lightning pulled out of the second turn a little fast, forcing his right tires to skid just slightly. _Whoa!_ He slowed immediately and completed the turn just as close to the Ferrari ahead of him as he had been before the turns. They both sped up heading into the long third turn. The Ferrari's engine was loud and tinny as he accelerated, McQueen tailing him closely but not gaining anything.

They pulled out of the turn, separated by only a meter, going 200 miles per hour. The curbing had long since become a blur of pinkish red and the trees were indistinguishable from the next as they flew down the track. They were both moving up on the seventh place car.

The fourth and fifth turns came and went, their speeds much lower in the sharp S-curve. McQueen kept close behind his newfound competition, resolved to make it past the Ferrari before the end of the race.

The rush of chilled air flowing through his engine faster and faster, speeding up through the straights following turn seven, was refreshing as the position battle continued into the second half of the lap. _I should have overtaken him by now, _he thought, annoyed.

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Doc, Sheriff, and Sally took a few sips of oil from their near-empty cans. Only a few minutes had passed since Sally had rejoined everyone, but Doc had settled everybody down quickly. Sarge and Fillmore sat parked in their usual spots at Flo's, with the three of them facing them on the opposite side of the lot. Mater was strolling down the main street aimlessly, Red almost corralling him near the re-opened restaurant. Ramone had gone into his shop to design a paintjob for the post-repair Corey. For as fast as things had jumped into gear earlier, things had settled into their comparably slow pace without much of a fuss.

"I wonder if I'll be getting any customers later," Sally said. "The Wheel Well's empty tonight."

"Did you check everyone out before coming down here?" Doc asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. But I wonder if that family is still around? I'm surprised I haven't seen them since you brought me to the garage," she said.

"The ones with the two hyperactive kids?" Sheriff asked.

"Yeah," she answered with a slight grin. "I showed them around town after the Night Cruise and checked them out of the Well, just haven't seen them around. That father has probably got his hands full with sight-seeing anyway."

"Today does seem a little slow," Doc said. "But it's probably for the best."

"Yeah," Sally and Sheriff said.

They sat there for another minute or two, finishing their oil.

"I'm gonna go check on our guys," Doc said.

"Alright."

"Okay."

He drove off the lot, Fillmore's gaze following him as he went.

"What's he fixin', man?" Fillmore asked.

Sally and Sheriff glanced at each other and chuckled.

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Lightning and the Ferrari burned out as they hit the opening straightaway once again. McQueen had almost pulled off the overtake entering the last turn, but he had taken the turn too far inside and lost speed correcting himself. He hadn't gained or lost anything on the Ferrari ahead of him the entire lap.

McQueen pulled to the right of the track as the two of them edged themselves past the seventh-place car, another blue BMW, before moving back to the left side and entering the first turn. The tail of the Ferrari seemed slightly closer. _No skids this time. He's not unpassable. _McQueen gave his engine a little extra push as they started pulling out of the second turn.

The third turn was exhilarating, even on this eleventh full-speed run. The two of their engines roared and came out above the others as they steadily pushed themselves harder than the previous lap. The passing cheers of the fans in the secondary stands along the track were almost disorienting to McQueen, used to the constant crowd noise at the speedways, but he kept his attention on the track. And on the tail of the Ferrari.

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"Hey, I can't let you in," the ambulance told Doc. He had just rounded the building, headed towards the garage.

"What?" Doc replied. He didn't look happy.

"They're changing out the axle right now. I can't let you in until they've finished the operation."

"It's my garage," he said back.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, but I can't let you go in while they're working."

Doc studied his face for a moment. "Hey," he started, "where were you when Sally went in then?"

The ambulance's expression showed surprise, but then went blush. "I…" he said, trailing off.

"Don't worry. I'll wait," Doc said.

"Oh…yeah. Well, I saw this red Miata and…"

Doc rolled his eyes. The ambulance dropped the subject.

"Which one is Sally anyway?" the ambulance asked, trying to regain his composure.

"The blue Porsche."

"Oh…" he began. "She passed me when I was headed over to that Miata then," the ambulance said.

"I must not have been paying much attention to you. I was at the café with most of the other town residents," Doc said. "Are they almost finished?" he asked, glancing over at the closed garage doors.

The ambulance looked back, shaking his head. "I think they're still working on it."

Doc grumbled and shook his head. "Well, let us know when they are. And don't go chasing after Mia and Tia again while you're on the job," he said.

Doc drove off, back towards Flo's, leaving the slight racket of the garage and the ambulance behind. The ambulance settled on his frame but opened his eyes in sudden surprise. "Tia? There are _two_?"

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Now in sixth place, McQueen and the Ferrari ahead could finally see the race leader clearly, still ahead by a few seconds. It was a sleek silver car whose form he knew all too well—a Porsche. They were heading into the twentieth lap, coming out of the final turn of the circuit. Lightning had gained a few inches on the Ferrari ahead of him, but they were too evenly matched for him to make a sudden overtake, especially after the pit stop and refuel at the end of the nineteenth lap.

The silver Porsche leading the pack, followed closely by a small, boxy Subaru, was already over the starting line as McQueen hit the grids. He and the Ferrari cut left faster this time than they had before. He suddenly saw three sets of red lights ahead of him. _Whoa! Whoa!_

Lightning gritted his teeth as he braked himself hard. His tires squealed loudly from the sudden deceleration.

The crowd in the main stands gasped.

A wheel, tire still attached, flew over McQueen's head as he heard metal scraping metal and tires skidding on pavement. He knew those sounds all too well.

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	10. Chapter 10

_You don't have to do this, but I recommend resizing your browser window to the size of the dashed lines. This is the width of the original writing and helps with the overall flow when reading, rather than the extended length FFnet normally displays in. Enjoy the chapter!_

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**Chapter 10**

The crash ahead of him had happened in a split second.

Lightning was used to driving through collisions on the fly, especially when racing against Chick Hicks, but it seemed so much faster when it happened on the Formula One circuit at Monza.

The sudden brake lights caught his attention but the first thing he really saw was the wheel, still rotating, flying over the Ferrari and himself, just missing his body. The sound of screeching, wrenching metal he noticed next, followed by the expected and shrill noise of skidding tires in the same fraction of a second.

'_Whoa! Whoa!'_his reflexes seemed to be shouting at him. He tightened his brakes and continued steering himself to the left as controlled as he could manage. A few small pieces of debris were flying towards him.

Things sped back up an instant afterward. McQueen and the Ferrari shot past a yellow Lotus spinning out of control, one wheel missing, and the grey Aston Martin that had been involved before they even dropped below 115 miles per hour. He heard a sharp burst of noise just behind him as the unfortunate seventh-place car impacted with one of the wrecks.

Lightning winced as he heard the second crash, but he kept himself focused on the race. In moments, he was across the starting line, accelerating on through the remainder of the straightaway. The two leaders were still in sight but had widened the gap with the slowdown of the crash just a handful of seconds before.

McQueen pushed himself to get back up to speed. The crew chief radioed in before he pulled into the first turn.

"McQueen, no yellow or safety car on that crash. Keep on moving," he said.

"Alright," he answered.

He was still amazed that he hadn't lost anything, if not gained, on the Ferrari. They were a pair in tandem for the last ten laps, and neither had outdone the other. McQueen felt excited and driven at the challenge, but he couldn't remember racing anyone so evenly matched. It felt good.

* * *

It was back to normal, almost.

After Doc returned, Sally drove back to the Cozy Cone and started tidying the rooms to pass the time. She needed to, regardless, but there was practically nothing else she could do without more than a few guests staying the night. Business orders were filled, the Wheel Well was empty, and she hadn't seen any of the cars that were still staying or booked for that night more than a few seconds in passing.

She had free time, at least until Doc was updated on Corey. _Wow. Nothing to do_, she kept on thinking while finishing up the last room of the Cone. The sky was still bright and clear, with wisps of cloud off to the west, and the wind had begun to pick back up to its usual light pace. She closed up the room and drove back into her office, actually relaxed.

She checked the time, wondering how far along Lightning's race should be. She looked around her office for a while, keeping occupied but not working. She finally felt calm.

Mater drove by, hooting about something and heading to his salvage yard. She heard two higher voices and two excited, revving engines coming up the road, following Mater. She poked her front out the door to see what was going on.

Sally grinned. The two cars were the children from earlier that morning, tailing Mater and driving all over the road and laughing. Their parents were a little ways behind, taking their time. They weren't exhausted; they were taking another good look at the town along the way. _I wonder if I'll see them again, _Sally thought. _I still want to tell Stickers about them._

"So, you all having a good day?" Sally called from her office door.

They both wore satisfied expressions. "I can't believe you get to live here," the father said.

"You're really lucky, you know?" the mother followed.

Sally couldn't help but give a full smile. "Yeah, I know," she said, driving out to meet them. "I've got my hands full with the Cone and Wheel Well though."

They all pulled over to the edge of the lobby-drive and watched as Mater and the two little cars drove into Mater's yard. Mater stopped in front of a small pile of rusted parts, grabbing the attention of the kids when he started talking about something.

The three of them watched a little longer as Mater moved on to another similar scrap pile, commanding the attention of the little cars even more. "And you guys are leaving today?" Sally asked.

The parents turned to face her. "Yeah," the father started, "we have to make it to Flagstaff and keep this trek going."

"We're headed all the way from California to Chicago," the wife said. She wasn't disinterested, but her husband's enthusiasm almost made it seem so.

"Wow," Sally said. "That's quite a trip."

They both laughed softly. "It is, but it's worth it," the father said.

"And we haven't ever had the time to take the kids this far before," the mother continued.

They all watched the two cars moving around the salvage yard with Mater a few moments before picking up the conversation again. The idea of children flew in and out of Sally's mind while she looked on, but it wasn't the first time it ever had.

"Well, I'm glad you has the chance to travel the Mother Road and stop here," Sally said. "From California, this is as far as I've really gotten."_I'll bump the Route 66 road trip up on my list, _she thought.

"I know. I know. It was hard to pull this trip together, what with our jobs and their school and everything, but here we are," the husband said, that look of satisfaction back on his face.

"I'm glad for you both," Sally replied. _I'm definitely bumping up that trip._

Mater suddenly let out a short holler. The two children shrieked.

All three of them turned back towards the salvage yard. Mater flew onto the road from his lot, kicking up dust and rock along the way. The little cars shrieked again and started following him.

"What happened?" the parents asked in unison. They looked at each other and took off, following Mater and their children. Sally sped after them.

Mater went driving off into the sand at a mad pace. He was headed towards Willy's Butte. He turned suddenly, doubling back doubling and heading directly towards Sally, the kids, and their parents. He shot past them, giving another yell.

Sally stopped as the others turned around and followed him. Her lips were curling into a slight grin. _I think I know what this is…_

"Cody! Leon!" the parents called after them, continuing the little chase past the drive-in. Sally still followed them, but she stayed back and nodded when she saw confirmation of her guess.

Mater pulled off to one side of the road and slowed down, dragging his tow cable in the dirt and slumping on his frame. The little cars drove up alongside him then pulled ahead as he slowed. They looked excited.

"Kids! Are you alright?" the mother asked them as they caught up.

"…and then, I looked at my tow cable again. It was a lantern!" Mater said with excitement, peeking at the cable in mimic.

The children laughed. "Mom, Mater's stories are really funny!" one of them said when he noticed his parents approaching. Mater raised himself from the ground and turned to face the two parents.

"You'd really like them, Dad. I think he knew Grandpa," the other child said.

Mater chuckled.

"He was just telling us about the night he was attacked by the ghostlight!"

"The what?" asked the father.

"What's the ghostlight?" their mother asked.

"Mater, tell them about the screaming banshee too?" Sally said, driving up and having a good laugh.

"Sure did," Mater replied with a lighthearted chuckle at the end.

It didn't take long for the little cars to start moving around again. They kicked up little clouds of dust as they took off and stopped, apparently scrutinizing every inch of the ground around them. Once that idea was exhausted—which was rather quickly—they started criss-crossing the road in little sprints. "Hey, what is that?" one of them asked, stopping and looking over the landscape of the desert.

Sally and Mater followed his gaze while the parents stayed to the side and watched them. "Oh, that's Willy's Butte," Sally said.

"That's where it is?" asked the husband. "Huh. I can't believe we haven't been there yet."

Sally turned back towards the group. "Oh…I must have forgotten to show you guys yesterday," she said with a touch of embarrassment.

"Well, its not too far off. How do we get there?"

"Just take the right at Cross Street, follow the road, and you'll be there," Sally answered, giving a little nod in her business manner without realizing it.

"Kids! Hey, Cody! Leon!" the father shouted, trying to get the attention of the rowdy little cars, taking turns sprinting across the highway once again. "We're going to Willy's Butte!" He and his wife turned and drove off to corral their children. They had them ready to go in no time.

"Thanks," the wife said as they drove past them, headed towards the middle of town.

"No problem," replied Sally. She gave a satisfied smile after they had all passed her and Mater. The sound of the breeze took over once again.

"So, you're telling ghost stories now?" Sally said, giving a little smirk as she pulled up alongside Mater.

He nodded with a contented grin on his face. "Just tellin' them my stories," he said. "Got to scare 'em, too!"

They both gave a light chuckle.

"Hey, you remember when I told Lightning you was my fiancée?"

"Yeah," she said, rolling her eyes.

"You shoulda seen the look on his face Miss Sally. I knowed he was gonna like you already," Mater said.

"Really? 'Cause I wasn't so sure," Sally replied with the hint of a smile.

* * *

Sally sat parked in her office once again. The wind was constant and slight, as she was used to, and whistling through the now open windows around her. _How much more time_? she thought impatiently. There wasn't much of anything going on, as far as she could tell from the confines of her space.

She felt better than she had earlier. In fact, she felt surprised at herself acting the way she did when finally reflecting upon it in the free time of the afternoon. _Less than an hour ago you were in shambles…_ _Huh._

There was a slight rumble as two cars drove onto the lot and around her office to their room.

_And to think of those days me and Lightning couldn't even see each other because of all the bookings. Good thing I convinced Doc to let him help out a little more often after we reopened the Well,_ she thought.

* * *

"Yeah!" Lightning yelled as his tires screeched on the coarse pavement. He left a few faint wisps of white smoke behind him. He revved his engine once in celebration as the car behind slowed to a stop and pulled off to the side.

The car laughed a little. Lightning turned himself about.

"So you finally won one Stickers," Sally said in her best sarcastic voice. "You should be glad I'm not out there racing against you."

Lightning rolled his eyes and returned her enthusiastic smile. "I'm not so sure I really won that one," he said.

"Saying I let you win?" she replied. Her face pulled into a grin before she could resist. _Maybe I did… Just by a little bit, _she thought.

"Yeah…" he began, Sally's expression giving it away. He didn't continue but gave her a quick glance and peck on the fender when he moved towards her.

Lightning maneuvered himself alongside Sally, letting the banter subside.

_Huh. He usually keeps the sarcasm going._

The two of them backed up off of the road and onto dirt and broken stone behind them. Lightning stopped and took a good look at the front of the Wheel Well standing there in front of them. The simple grandeur always evoked a sense of awe in the two of them, leaving them calmed from their playful race and left in a sudden state of reflection. Every time Sally could remember, it did this to them.

"You know, I'm really glad you decided to come help out up here," Sally said. "We still won't get to see each other all that much, but it's more than what we've been getting the last few weeks."

"I know," he returned. "I like helping out anyway. I can't just race all the time and never see you."

"Thanks Stickers," she said calmly. Sally and Lightning continued their moment of peace, but Sally began rubbing her tire in the dirt. Her gaze shifted towards Lightning in an almost longing way. "Funny thing about running a business… I've got what I wanted after all that time of keeping the Cone open, but now I can hardly see you."

"Yeah," he said. He let her continue.

"And I hate thinking about it, but I wonder, sometimes, about getting _too_ busy, you know?" She didn't seem as steady as she had just been.

Lightning tilted himself towards her. "Well… I mean, I'll be up here every night to close up and just around town during the day."

"I know, I know… It's just that…"

"What? The races?"

"No. Not that… It's… It's nothing," she said. She dropped her eyes to the ground and shook her head once or twice.

"Sally…"

She leaned against him for a few seconds. The warm touch of her fender on his own calmed him a bit.

"You know what? I'll ask to Doc to cancel the next few town races. That'll give us some more time," Lightning said. The idea seemed to cheer them both up a little, but Sally still looked and felt unsatisfied.

Sally pulled herself back and settled on her frame. "It'll help, but what about going for a drive? How long it's been? Time away from everyone else… That only time we get to ourselves."

"I know…" Lightning responded. They sat in silence a few moments afterward.

A quick thought flew into his head. He jerked ever so slightly when it hit him.

"That drive sounds like a good idea. It has been a while…"

Sally gave a confused look in return. _You okay, Stickers? _His sudden jitteriness had her lost. "I'm still booked solid tomorrow, Stickers. When are we going to take a drive?" she asked.

"Don't worry. Just get some sleep and I'll get the rest worked out," he said, a look of encouragement in his eyes. He also looked like he was formulating something in his head.

Sally pulled out in front of him. "Well, the drive tomorrow…" she started, turning herself around to face him, "I can make some time, I think. I'm booked, but most everyone is staying the night again. No full cleanouts or anything…"Lightning kissed her abruptly and rather passionately before she even finished her sentence. Her heart beat a little faster from the abrupt choice, but it also felt good.

She let out a quick breath in her own surprise. "What was that for?" she asked. _And why haven't you used that kiss before?_

Lightning chuckled lightly. "So you liked the kiss?"

"Uhhh, yeah," Sally returned.

"Let's clean these rooms before it gets late," he said. "And don't worry about the drive. I've already got it figured out." He gave her a nudge and another reassuring glance before driving past her.

_Okay… Not your average Lightning McQueen, but I like it. _

"Alright, I won't worry about it," she said. _And what is this plan he has to have going on in his head?_ "But I think you need to know that I did let you win on the way here." She followed up with a rev of her engine.

"I know, I know," he said. "I saw it on your face. I'll just count it as another win for you." He gave her a quick nod and continued towards the motel.

Sally gave a false scoff. "You mean you won't even take a single win against me? Maybe I _should_ just find a sponsor and race you next season."

* * *

The vivid memory left Sally's thoughts much like the wind blowing through the nearby windows.

_That drive the next day didn't happen, _she recalled. _But I figured it out…_

Sally took a quick look around her office and headed out the door.

She drove up to and nosed herself into Doc's clinic to see what he was up to. The light flooded the room like it always did, slowly returning to its normal greys and whites a few seconds later.

"Sally? That you?" a voice asked.

"Yeah, Doc."

"Come on in," he answered.

She pushed herself through the doors and drove up alongside Doc. He wasn't doing anything but sitting in wait as she had just been. The room was astoundingly quiet after being outside with the wind whistling through her office windows and the bright floor was somewhat distracting.

"Huh… Quiet now that everyone's back to their routines," she said to break the stillness. Doc didn't respond. _Maybe he's asleep and I just didn't realize it,_ she thought.

Sally waited a moment and tried again. "How long ago did you check on the technicians?"

"Couldn't have been that long… Half an hour maybe," he said. "Said they'd come find me when they…"

The doors opened with a sudden clamor, sending sunlight flooding into the room. The shape in the doorway was large and boxy.

"So, are you done?" Doc asked.

The form of the ambulance became clearer as their eyes adjusted.

"We just finished up," he said.

"Then let's go check up on…" Sally began.

"Wait, wait," the ambulance interjected. "Don't touch anything. The new axle hasn't fully set."

He backed out of the door and made his way towards the garage. Doc and Sally followed closely behind. They turned the corner of the building and saw the two technicians parked outside looking weary but relieved. The quiet one had collected the set of tools and boxes next to him. The ambulance pulled over to pick up the gear.

The other stopped them at the door. "Be careful," he said. "We just finished setting that new axle into place, so don't touch anything."

Doc nodded and pulled the door open with his tire.

The technician stopped Sally and motioned her close as Doc made his way inside. "It looks like he's going to be alright. We found out that there was some damage to his exhaust system as well and patched it up too. He'll be in full running order as soon as his axle sets," he explained. The tech nodded towards the open doorway.

Sally tried her best not to act confused. She found herself back in front of the unconscious Corvette as she pulled alongside Doc. The tech closed the doors behind them.

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	11. Chapter 11

_You don't have to do this, but I recommend resizing your browser window to the size of the dashed lines. This is the width of the original writing and helps with the overall flow when reading, rather than the extended length FFnet normally displays in. Enjoy the chapter!_

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**Chapter 11**

"McQueen, no yellow or safety car on that crash. Keep on moving," the crew chief spouted over the radio.

"Alright," McQueen answered with a touch of uneasiness in his voice. _Lucky to have gotten out of there in one piece, _he thought. He set himself up for the first turn of the track coming up fast once again, keeping a tight pace with the Ferrari just ahead of him. The Porsche and Subaru were twisting left out of the second chicane just as the two of them were feeling the pull of the first on their tires. McQueen set his sights back on the bumper of the Ferrari quickly as he tried to squeeze a few hundredths of a second out of the turn.

Going into the last turn of the circuit, Lightning found he had been able to push himself noticeably closer to the rear-end of the Ferrari. Close enough to make a run on his position with the right moves in the turns. McQueen chuckled mentally as he envisioned nosing himself closer into one of the easier turns and forcing the Ferrari to a slower line. _I've got this guy now._ Going on the twenty-fifth lap, he had his plan ready.

Somewhere before the eighth turn a few laps later, he readied himself, revved his engine just a little harder and nosed himself into the far inside of the turn.

"_Che cosa state facendo_!?" the Ferrari yelled in a frantic voice.

Lightning pushed his engine, feeling his pistons pumping faster than he could recently remember, and edged his left tires onto the curbing to get himself into position. The Ferrari's engine squealed as he tried to push faster than he was already going, but was inevitably forced to the outside of the turn before he could do anything. The Ferrari seemed to have hit a wall with how quickly he fell behind McQueen and followed on through the remaining two turns of the sequence. _Yes! Yes! I knew I had this guy, _he said to himself excitedly. He was glad to let up a little and drop back to a more comfortable rev, but he was confident that he could coax a bit more out of himself if he had to. The rush of the chilled air was an added bonus when he noticed it once more.

"Yeah!" he yelled, heading into the final curve. He felt like he had honestly worked for this new position, something he didn't have to do that often.

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As he and the tailing Ferrari approached the starting grids, the only remaining evidence of the previous wreck being the tire-tread marks streaking along the pavement, the radio crackled once again.

"McQueen, good move. Good move," the crew chief said.

"Hehe…. Thanks," McQueen returned. The main stands were flying by to his left.

"The field is pitting after this next lap, so be ready. We're moving up to harder tires for the last leg of the race. As long as nothing else goes wrong, you'll be riding this last set all the way to the finish," he finished, closing the channel with a crackle.

The blur of noise and color ended as McQueen passed the main stands for the thirtieth time that evening. His turn into the first curve went smoothly, but he noticed the lack of orange-red sunlight that had covered the sky just minutes before. The trees on his right shown bright with a deeper, faint red.

White light had already been keeping the track illuminated, but the loss of color that had begun showing through the earlier grey commanded his attention for that moment. The twist of the track back to the left brought him back instantly as his right tires felt the pull of the g-forces.

_Okay, okay… 23 to go,_ McQueen thought pulling out of the sixth turn. He could see the tail of the blue Subaru disappear into the seventh turn, but he had lost a fair amount of time during the wreck. He and the Ferrari had made up nearly half of it, but they still had a second or two of buffer zone in between them. _Yeah, and there's no guarantee I'll get around these guys. At least, not the Porsche._

The details of the track were becoming easier to see with the darkened sky and overhead lights, but the speed was still greater than he was most accustomed to. He had topped 160 miles per hour in the foothills of the countryside, but 200 mph on the lengthier stretches was faster than he had ever raced. There was a race or two, held off-record, before his first season in the Piston Cup series where he had topped at 195. The extra five miles per hour above that played among his thoughts every so often.

"McQueen, McQueen…" the voice of his chief called to him again.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"We're also giving you a two-thirds refuel on the stop. You should be almost empty now, right?"

McQueen made a face. "Umm… I don't know," he said, pushing along the final straight and into the last curve. "I should be, yes."

"Just checking, just checking. The crew's ready for you. Bring it in tight," he ended.

Lightning pushed himself into the curve and slowed, eyeing the turn into pit road as soon as it was visible. The two cars ahead of him were a few seconds from entering. He mouthed a quiet 'what the?' as he saw the glint of the Porsche's silver spoiler struck by the brighter lights of the main complex, the racer heading towards the starting grids. The Subaru just a second ahead of himself was still pulling into pit row.

_No… No way, _he thought to himself. McQueen's eyes shot to the Porsche and back to the Subaru in a split second. He made his decision.

McQueen kept his speed up and gave a slight wince as he shot past the pit road, in chase of the silver 911 Turbo.

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"Doc, should we say something?"

Doc and Sally sat and stayed relatively still in the quietness. Sally was hesitant to do anything sudden now that the emergency technicians had finished up and they were sitting in front of him though she had hardly turned herself away before they had arrived. She stayed put and waited a moment or two more.

Doc's frame gave a metallic screech as he shifted his weight onto his back tires and looked the Corvette over. The break in the silence prompted Sally to at least do something, now that they were in front of him.

She edged herself a little more towards Corey's frame, giving him a quick glance fender-to-fender. The light of the garage was brownish and dusty after all of the shuffling that had been going on, but the lone light bulb hanging in the far corner was giving them a hand with the main doors now closed behind them. There was still the unpleasant pool of oil beneath him, but she didn't notice any sort of leak now.

Corey's front end looked worlds better without the awkward tilt he had been sitting at with the broken axle. Something about that had made Sally feel uneasy when she saw it. It wasn't natural to see a car's wheels and body appear crooked like that. The were a few dents left along the side facing the two of them, but just the sight of him sitting properly on his front two tires gave her an honest sense of relief.

"Looks like they did a good job," she said back towards Doc.

"Yeah, they did," his gravelly voice returned. There was another sound of squeaks as Doc shifted his weight behind her.

"I wonder when he'll wake up…" she thought out-loud, pretty much to herself.

Sally backed up a bit and tried to get a view of his other side, obscured by the piles of boxes and miscellany alongside him. She didn't know what else to do until he woke up. There didn't seem to be much damage on that side in the first place, but what had been was now fixed or hidden by the junk. A light blast of air exited Corey's mouth and caught her by surprise when it blew over her side.

The closeness and warmth of his breath made her feel blush. She hesitated for a moment and let the feeling pass before bringing herself back in front of him and Doc.

Her gaze shifted towards Doc, his eyes a deeper blue in the lower light. "What do you think we should do now?" she asked. Doc gave a thoughtful expression and waited a few seconds before responding.

"Stayin' here and waiting's the best I can think of," he answered.

Sally gave a light sigh facing the ensuing and continued stasis they were in while parked in the garage. She turned herself back towards Doc and pulled alongside him as before.

"Waiting….Yeah," she said. The chill that had run down her driveshaft when Corey's breath had glided over her crept back into her mind ever so slowly.

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The entrance to the pits whizzed by to his right. The blue Subaru and the Ferrari both made their ways into the service lanes and to their crews as McQueen got himself back to full speed on the straightaway. It was only a matter of time until…

"McQueen! What the hell are you doing?!" the radio sounded, the voice of the crew chief carrying his surprise along with it. "You were supposed to pit!"

Lightning pulled to the left of the track, hugging the wall of the grandstands.

"I know, I know…" was all he said in return.

"I…." followed by a crackle of static that was sure to be a burst of air exhaled in frustration, "Do you have enough fuel to make another lap? By my calculations, you should be close to dry after running on the Ferrari," he continued, a little more composed.

"Umm…. I can't really tell," Lightning answered him. The grandstands and the now less rowdy fans were still going by as a blur. The silver Porsche didn't seem but two seconds ahead of him, time that would have to be made up in the pits more than anywhere else that he would be able to manage.

"Okay, okay…. I think you'll have enough for this lap," the chief started, leaving a small pause, "but if you keep over 190, I can't guarantee anything."

Lightning pulled himself left into the first curve of the circuit once again, slowing as usual.

"Are you sure? I can keep this speed and make it. I have to," McQueen gave in return. The quick left of the second curve followed up the first. The smooth sound of the Porsche's engine revving high and clear as the racer accelerated into the long third turn ahead of him gave him a chill before he even thought about it.

"I can't guarantee anything… I don't know how much fuel we used up on that last overtake. You have to pit. This lap, McQueen," the chief said.

"Yeah, yeah…. I'm coming in this lap," Lightning answered. McQueen was halfway through the broad right-hand curve of turn 3.

"Okay. With any luck, we'll have you out of there a second faster this time," he said. "I'm sure they're pitting the Porsche this lap, too. I'd be surprised if… Hey."

Lightning braked quickly for the fast left just ahead of him. "Yeah? What?" he asked.

"Looks like our friend the Ferrari beat the Soob out of the gate," the chief returned. "We're already ready for you. Just keep it tight. We'll have you back out in no time."

"Gotcha," McQueen said. The fifth turn was just behind him.

Lightning set his full attention back on the track as the line closed the usual crackle. His opponent was still just about two seconds ahead of him, slowing for the sixth curve.

The little flash of Sally through his mind when he had heard the Porsche's engine stuck with him. He hadn't thought of her the entire race, but the thought was comfortable and welcome. _No walls this time_, he thought to himself.

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The Porsche was pitting just ahead of him.

Lightning pulled off onto the pit road and to his pit garage quickly. The Porsche's box was towards the end of the complex, putting Lightning under maintenance well before him.

"Harder tires and two-thirds gas, McQueen!" one of the pit crew yelled. Lightning nodded as they went to work frantically. The sounds of the pneumatics and gas pumps gave him an odd but familiar moment of mental seclusion from the race. The Porsche had just stopped ahead of him, his respective crew thrust into the action.

"Clear! Go! Go!" the crew all yelled as his tires dropped back onto the pavement. Lightning took off without hesitation, closing the distance between himself and the race leader as much as he could before they were both on their way out onto the track. The sounds of their engines was pure excitement, the crowd back on the edge of their tires with the position battles building in front of them once again.

They had both made it back onto the circuit in great time. The Ferrari and Subaru were coming up fast behind them, but they were secure in their positions. The pit crew _had_ gotten him out a second faster that time, to McQueen's surprise; the tail of the Porsche was much closer now than he'd have predicted it to be. Refueled and both running new tires, they took the first few turns a little under-speed to warm them up and improve traction in the now falling temperatures of the evening.

The deep reds peeking through the banks of trees were gone, the darkened sky difficult to make out past the bright white floodlights along the fan-populated sections of the circuit. The last bits of sunlight had just faded into the purple-black of night as the race reached its 45th lap without event. McQueen had kept himself on the Porsche's tail and kept the distance between them fairly even. Without another pit stop to come, it would take a mistake on the leader's part to close the gap any further. Lightning was still determined to win.

The crowds flew by at a brisk 190 miles per hour once again, the pack only a few seconds behind McQueen, keeping their pace just as well as he was with the Porsche. Another competitor dropped out of the race on the 47th lap when one of his brakes locked and sent him skidding off the end of the tenth turn and into the wall just beyond one of the smaller grandstands. The safety car met them back at the start of the circuit, putting Lightning right behind the silver Porsche, inches away from his raised spoiler. The heat and taste of his exhaust caught McQueen off guard when he slipped behind him, prompting a quick sputter. He pulled himself to the left and kept close.

Of course, the Ferrari had pulled up just behind McQueen like he had to the Porsche, giving him an uneasy feeling the entire length of the circuit. He thought he heard a chuckle come from behind him somewhere along the way. _I don't think so, _he thought. _Here comes the restart…_

Another raucous round of cheering erupted from the stands when they saw the lights of the safety car and the front of the pack rounding the last curve. The safety car peeled off into the pits as he had at the start of the race, tempting them to take off right there. They spotted the green flag waving just ahead, before the straightaway, coaxing them even more. Lightning and the rest of the pack pulled to the left as they had been doing, hugging the wall, but they were ready to cut outside and try to pass at any moment.

Lightning kept himself close to the tail of the Porsche and gauged the stretch they had before the first turns. He kept his attention on the Ferrari just behind him and readied for the big burnout. _Here comes the restart…_

The Porsche, McQueen, the Ferrari, the Subaru, BMW, and all the rest crossed the starting line in rapid succession. All of them were accelerating as fast as possible for position, trying to get a jump up the pack in the 49th lap where they couldn't before. The Porsche was squeezing centimeters out of the burnout, unable to outdistance McQueen to any real extent. Lightning was so tempted to bump him right then…

The two of them maintained their positions into the first turns, tailed closely by the Ferrari and Subaru pair. They were under quarter-second behind him, far enough for him to have some room to work the Porsche but not to keep his place if he was forced to slow. All four engines were humming as they exited the chicanes, speeding up on their way out. Any slip up would be a guaranteed drop in position, an equally great potential for a wreck. The real race was on.

_Last three laps_, McQueen noted to himself after two uneventful but exhilarating circuits. _Who's going to make a move?_ _I know that guy's going to try at least once…._

Anyone in the crowds could feel the tension those four racers were experiencing as they flew around the track. They were racing tightly and precise but not one of them was a more than ten feet from the other by the last stage of the race. Most of the noise had gone down from the nervous anticipation. Who would win? When would one of them make a move? Who would break loose? Slide off into the turf or the wall? Their four crew chiefs had closed their lines unless some absolute necessity arose. The racers' engines continued their powerful ballet of growls and tinny hums in near silence, as far as they could tell down on the track.

And then it was the final lap. No moves just yet, but their nerves and pistons were running hard and fast.

McQueen kept himself steady on through the first curves, sticking to his line and ready to fend off the Ferrari if he tried to push him out of the way. _Something's coming,_ he thought. The four of them drove the broad third turn flawlessly, braking for the S-curve of the next two turns. The sixth turn passed them. They all blew past the sharp right of the seventh turn. The small straights yielded nothing. Turns eight and nine and ten went right on by. _When???_ he couldn't help but ask himself.

The Ferrari made his move as they braked for the final turn.

He tried to nose himself inside like McQueen had done to him earlier in the race, letting his speed carry him ahead and then forcing the other to evade him. The Subaru was pulling the same maneuver on the Ferrari, or would have if he hadn't already moved on McQueen, and was on the far inside just behind him.

Exiting the turn, Lightning heard a subtle and sudden change in the Ferrari's engine. All four of them were veering left towards the wall, but he could already tell something was wrong.

And then he felt the bump on his right rear bumper. Not a crash or even a hard nudge, but a slight bump as the Ferrari's front end grazed him in the beginnings of a spin-out.

What couldn't have been but milliseconds later, the crash began behind McQueen.

The Subaru drove himself unthinkingly into the wall, in a reflexive jerk away from the loose and wobbling Ferrari. His front left side crumpled on the impact, accompanied by all the noises you would expect. His move to the wrong side didn't matter. The Ferrari's left rear tire was unstuck and he had begun a spin-out, grazing the tail-end of McQueen at first and then impacting on the front of the Subaru at a near perpendicular.

And then he felt the second bump. It wasn't that slight bump from before, which had slowed him just down just enough to be in the perfect position for this one, but what he had dreaded feeling his entire career. The front right corner of the Ferrari's body jutted into McQueen's rear, propelled by the hit of the Subaru just before.

Lightning's tires began to squeal as he came face-to-face with the wall, only seeing it and not hitting it, and crossed the finish line barely ahead of the two cars that had just knocked him into a complete and uncontrollable spin.

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**AN: If you're even thinking about this after the ending of the chapter… The little bit with Sally blushing isn't as blatant as you'd think. I still want to hear thoughts, but this detail will be resolved later on. I wish I had time to write continuously so you all could just 'turn the page' and read on! **

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	12. Chapter 12

_Sizing the page to the width of the dashes between scenes sets everything back to, more or less, the way it was written. Not totally necessary but I find it keeps the eye going at a steady pace while reading. _

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**Chapter 12**

Everything was dark.

The only thing he could think about was the blank and colorless quiet of his own thoughts. Everything was clouded, too. Every passing thought came and went without ever taking shape, floating on and being replaced by another just as incoherent. _A dream? Am I asleep? What is this?_ There wasn't a single thing he could focus his mind upon. It was nothing but the dark, the silent, and the formless.

For what could have been days or hours or seconds, the vagaries and fuzzy images drifted in and out of his thoughts. It was still quiet, still dark.

But there was suddenly a definition to the nothingness. This was darker than this, lighter here than there. Without a thought, his felt his eyes turn towards the lighter blacks he could now perceive. Something creaked, wherever he was, moments afterwards. _I heard something,_ he thought. His eyes moved again as the blacks became greys and the greys became a translucent, dark orange. A muffled voice spoke when he moved, followed by another series of metallic noises. _Who's here? He needs to tune his suspension._

And then he felt awake again. The little thoughts and muddy pictures became focused and lucid. He could tell he was parked on smooth concrete. There was a car somewhere near and there was the smell of old cardboard and oil in the air. _Owww….what is that? _he thought. Something felt sharp or sore in his front two tires. He moved his left tire out of curiosity, only to be greeted with a sharp and stinging sensation running up his axle and driveshaft.

"Uhhh," he moaned at the sudden pain. It was more like an outright yell in his mind, but all that came out of him was the moan.

"Oc! E's ooving is tie ers," a still unintelligible voice said excitedly.

Without another thought, he opened his eyes.

The sudden splashes of color and light and shapes were disorienting and mystifying after the time spent in emptiness. He could make out nothing but two large shapes in front of him, one dark and one light blue. He squinted at first, to try and clear his sight, but it didn't help.

"What...happened?" he asked. His eyes were focusing slowly, putting the exaggerated smells and sounds of the room back into balance. The light blue car was close to his front bumper, looking at him and back to the dark blue car off to the side. With a few moments more, he could make out the teal eyes looking back into his and the gentle curves of her frame—he could tell it was a 'she' by then. Her gaze jumped back towards the darker car.

Corey's attention followed the light blue car's to the other, a vaguely familiar but still foreign countenance at the moment. The clarity of thought he had felt a minute ago had been replaced by a steady and modest headache, sufficiently clouding his mind once again. _I've seen this guy before,_ he thought. _The mayor guy… Yeah. _

"Corey?" the female car asked. She was looking back at him.

"Huh… Yeah," he said. It was difficult to thread his words together. "Yeah, I'm right here."

"So, you're awake," the older car said passively.

"Yeah, he sure is," the lighter blue car continued, giving a quickly formed smile and looking back into his eyes for just a second. Corey shifted his weight a little, putting more on his rear tires.  
"Gah, it stings," he said as he moved. "What happened?"

Neither of them responded at first. The curvy female car—_Is she a Porsche?_—spoke up.

"Well… We're not really sure either," she began. "Doc found you wrecked in the middle of the Cozy Cone last night. What were you doing?" she asked.

Corey lifted his gaze as he tried to remember, but the headache and fuzziness yielded nothing in return. "I, uh… I don't remember," he answered. The blue Porsche eye's broke with his and moved over his frame. He could feel the dull soreness of his sides becoming more pronounced with each passing second. "I… crashed?"

The darker car spoke up this time. "Well, I found you all smashed up in the middle of the Cozy Cone; _how_ you ended up there, I'm not sure, but the techs said you must have slid side-ways into a tree to dent your sides and break your axle like you did." Corey gave a slight grimace when he mentioned the broken axle.

_So that's what_that_ is, _he thought. He put more weight on his back tires. "It doesn't make sense. I was just racing… er, practicing the town circuit."

"Well it was the middle of a storm. Why were you out there?" the darker car asked.

Corey didn't respond at first. _He's right… why in the world would I be out there with such terrible weather?_ he thought. "I…" he began, trying to find the right words, "guess… I guess that I didn't want to lose some practice?" he said, trying not to sound completely foolhardy. The other two cars didn't do anything, but he was sure they were _thinking_ about rolling their eyes at him. He closed his eyes for a few moments, embarrassed but also beginning to feel the little, sharp pains over most of his body. The detached and dull throbs became what felt like glass in his tires and uncomfortable stiffness along his front and sides.

The other two cars had waited for him to open his eyes before continuing. The Porsche was looking back at him, ready to speak.

"I'm not trying to be insulting or anything here, but you 'didn't want to lose some practice'?" she said with a harder tone than he had heard from her before.

"She's right, Corey. That was foolish. Look where you landed yourself," the other said.

Corey didn't have anything to say in return, but he spoke up anyway. "I just… Well, yeah. That was dumb. I accept that, but I had already driven that stretch two or three times before the storm. I shouldn't have just lost control or whatever…" he said. "I mean, I know what I was doing."

He felt another pang of embarrassment when the older car gave a suppressed chuckle, trying to make it sound like a 'hmph' instead.

"Well," the darker one started, "It's pretty obvious to me that you didn't know a thing about what you were doing. I've been around here long enough to know what I'm doing, but you… I'm pretty sure you didn't have a clue. Not out there in flash flood or a mudslide or whatever landed you right back where you started. Thing is, you're lucky that I even found you. Who knows? If I hadn't worked on you all last night into the morning, you could have been spare parts by now," he said, pausing to let the Porsche move alongside him. She looked at him and then back at Corey.

He was about to continue but stopped himself. The lighter blue car had nudged him with her front fender. "Huh?" he asked.

She was turned towards the older car now. "Doc…" she said quietly. Corey closed his eyes and relaxed his frame for the moment. "We both know he didn't know what he was doing, but that's a little harsh," she said.

Doc turned himself towards her. A quick breath of air left his lips. "No, no… You're right. I'm sure he gets it by now," he said back. "Just a bad memory I don't like being reminded of."

Sally nodded in return. She looked past Doc, back towards Corey. They both turned towards him again. His eyes opened slowly as he heard the rustle and squeaks of their tires on the slicked floor. They let him come to his senses; either that, or they didn't have much else to say.

Corey spoke first. "Doc, right?" he started, getting a slight nod in return, "How long until I can move?" he asked. _Might as well know,_ he thought. Doc and the Porsche exchanged looks of uncertainty.

"Uh… I can go ask the techs outside. I don't know," the Porsche said to him. He nodded back to her and started picking himself up, gently raising his backside to carry the most of the weight. Doc moved out of her way, backing close to the windows as she pushed the front doors open. The flood of light made them all squint.

"So you're the mayor, right?" Corey asked when the doors closed.

Doc nodded. "Yeah, I guess… We don't really have a mayor, not since I showed up or even since things started speeding up around here," he said.

"Who runs this place, then?"

Doc waited to respond, eyeing the doors. "Nobody 'runs' everything, but Sheriff and I tend to get the job done. I guess you could call me the mayor and Sheriff… the sheriff," he said.

"Hmmm," Corey though out-loud. His eyes started looking around at the rest of the room, now that the Porsche wasn't commanding his full attention._Lots of books,_ he thought. He was looking along the benches behind Doc when the doors opened, blinding both of them for a few moments. _What's that up there…_ he was thinking, his eyes catching the tips of a winged object just as his sight was overcome.

"You _let_ him move it?" a voice said with some force. "Let me check it, just give me some room."

A white car made its way into the garage, brushing past Doc and coming face to face with Corey in a hurry.

"Good, you're awake," it said to him. "I need you to put all your weight on your back tires. We've gotta check out that axle before you can head anywhere. Weight on your back tires…"

A second car came inside, rolling a jack along with him. The Porsche was still outside, catching his gaze for a moment before the frame of Doc leaving the garage blocked it.

"Alright, we're about to lift you. Just, uh… don't yell too loud if it hurts," the first car said, nodding to the second car, the jack already under Corey's frame. "Weight on the back tires…"

* * *

Doc and Sally drove towards the highway, leaving the techs to their work.

"So, Doc… What do you think we should do now?" Sally asked.

They rolled to the end of the street, coming to the intersection with Route 66. Something was going on towards the middle of town, but it didn't seem to be anything unusual. Maybe some new people had rolled into town while the two of them had been in the garage. Sally looked down the road towards Flagstaff, the mirage and heat waves bending the pavement this way and that.

"Not much _to_ do, I don't think," Doc answered after a few moments. He was absently observing the Cozy Cone just off the right in front of them.

"Yeah…" Sally said. "I need to check on some things before going back there. I think some of my bookings may have arrived."

"Sure, sure. Looks like it'll be quiet for a while again anyhow."

"That's what I was thinking, yeah. Well… I'm gonna head over to Flo's," she said with a friendly smile. "See you."

"Alright, see you, Sally," he returned with a nod. "I'll be in the garage."

* * *

Lightning opened his eyes slowly, his senses in a state of confusion.

He was in his team's pit garage. There was noise. A lot of noise. Cheering, it sounded like. A booming voice speaking in frantic Italian. More cheers. Tire guns. Flashes of light. Bright overhead lights. More flashes. Cheers. More flashes. Tire guns. That voice.

McQueen blinked a few times, shaking his head in attempt to make some more sense of what was going on around him. It just seemed like outrageous amounts of noise and light… And the voice of an announcer. That's what it was, an announcer. The one speaking in Italian. Loud. Getting cheers. Or was it what he was saying they were cheering about?

"Whoa!" he yelped when he felt a slight jab at his right tires. The sound of tire guns in their high-pitched squeal took over for a moment.

He was trying to focus, but there was too much too process just then. Voices, more voices, light, flashes of light and whirring tire guns. _Why am I in the pit garage?_ he thought in a moment of clarity. He shook his himself again, the sights and sounds seeming less constant and intrusive on his mind than before. He could hear the cadence of the announcer's voice going through an exciting description of the race, or what was most likely the conclusion of the race. _The race I just placed…second?_

Talking about the crash. _That's what he's talking about. The crash, _he thought to himself. The voice sped up, the Italian running together on itself, at least as it sounded to McQueen.

The tire guns filled his hearing with their noise as two of the pit crew that were scurrying around him the whole time were changing his left-side tires now. "Hey," McQueen said. "Hey… what happened?" he asked absently.

It was probably too loud for him to be heard. The crew exchanged his tires with his original Lightyears without saying a word. The crowd's cheers reached a sudden highpoint with a pause in the announcer's voice.

"Martin Stuttgart!!!" the voice yelled a few seconds after the break. The crowds went wild, a discernible mix of cheers and booing going on amongst the spectators. The flashes intensified and the noise reached a deafening peak. He hadn't followed what was being said before then, but he was pretty sure of what was going on now.

McQueen slumped on his frame.

The pit crew had taken off after they finished with his tires, leaving him, for a moment, alone. McQueen looked up instinctively at the grandstands to get a sense of what was going on but was reminded that there weren't video screens like he was used to seeing (and being seen on). The crowd's enthusiasm was still high, the cheers and the howls of dissent coming through as loud as they had begun.

An unfamiliar sound ripped through the air, coming from a garage a few spots ahead of his, catching his attention. He looked up from the tread marks his gaze had landed upon, making out the four small, circular tail lights he had spent most of the race little more than a tread's breadth behind. The first loud metallic pop was followed with another, a pair of technicians busily at work on the wreck of the Ferrari that had crashed at the end of the race.

McQueen broke his slouch and was about to drive over to his garage when he heard his name being shouted to his right. "McQueen! McQueen!" the voice was yelling, trying to get over all the other noise. He looked over to see who was shouting; his crew chief was making his way through the crowded paddock in his direction. "Wow, McQueen. I can't believe you made it out of there like that," he said once he got closer. He was almost smiling.

"Yeah… What exactly happened?" Lightning asked. "What, I was like 100 feet from the finish line and got rear-ended?" He shook his tires out after finishing.

"That Ferrari broke loose coming out of the last turn. I was watching the video just a minute ago. It looked like he just grazed you when he first started loosing it. I don't know if you would have even felt it."

"Nope… I just remember that, uh, smash."

"Right, right… Well, the Soob behind him freaked and threw himself into the wall trying to get out of the way. He hit the Ferrari and sent him coming back at you," he explained. McQueen looked back at the technicians ahead of him and back at his crew chief and nodded.

"So… I didn't hit anything? I mean, I feel alright right now. A little shaken up, but that's all I can feel wrong."

"Heh. You're lucky, McQueen. Never been in a wreck?"

He shook his head. "I've been nudged and forced to spin-out before, but not wrecked."

_Chick_, he thought.

"Well, I'll say it again: you're lucky. You spun out along the wall, but you missed it. Haven't seen that close of a call in a long time. The wreck piled up two or three more cars back… I don't remember exactly. I was trying to get to the video booths already…. Anyway, the wreck piled up a little more behind the Soob and Ferrari. Banged them up pretty badly. A flip or two for some of them, yeah."

Another pop came from the Ferrari garage, stopping the chief for a moment. There was a resurgence of noise when the announcer's voice sounded across the grandstands, probably giving details on an upcoming event. The winner's ceremony was over.

"Okay. Gotta hurry. Anyways, McQueen, you shredded two tires after you crossed the finish. Amazing that you didn't go off into either wall. The crews picked you up from the grass between the first two turns. Looks like you ended up in the snow after all!" he said, a little too enthusiastic.

"Okay, okay. Thanks for filling me in." There was a bustling of engines that caught his attention.

"Nice working with you, McQueen. I'm out." He turned towards the inner paddocks and left in a sprint.

"Huh? Where are you…?"

The engines were closer and approaching fast. He saw a crowd approaching from the track. Their formation was extremely familiar. _Gah… Here too???_ he thought.

"_Carlo_!_Carlo_!" resounded from a part of the approaching group of reporters. The camera flashes erupted without warning as some of the group swarmed around him.

"_Nessun reporter! Stiamo lavorando! Nessun reporter!_" one of the technicians yelled before becoming completely surrounded. The flashes continued, catching as much of the remaining carnage as possible before being forced to move on.

McQueen backed up a few feet without thinking about it as he saw a fair amount of the crowd still making their way towards him.

_Crap_.

* * *

"Yes, I made it here last of all the racers. I got caught up on my way here," McQueen said into a web of microphones pointing at his face. _When are they going to ask?_ he wondered.

"McQueen, how would you say you did in the race?" a random voice asked, coming out between the jumbles of frantic speech and camera shutters.

He waited a second of two. "Second place," he said. "I thought I could take the guy ahead of me, but I didn't have the time."

"What?" a few of the reporters said. "You thought you could have taken him?" the other voice continued.

"I, uh," he began._I _did _think I could take him_. "Well, with a few more laps, maybe."

A look of disapproval came over some of the reporters' faces. A flurry of questions, some coming out in discernible snippets, came at him once again. "What made you think...?...the run on…hit on the last corner…through your head?...Schumacher."

"Wait, wait. I'll talk about the wreck, sure." McQueen started. "I was coming out of the last turn—well, you all saw it—and then I felt that first graze…"

"…heard about the retirement of Michael Schumacher?" one of the reporters asked, butting in through the lessened clamor of voices. Most of them must not have known because their expressions switched from the look of enthusiastic focus to utter surprise in a wave from the reporter that had said it.

"What? When? Why?" the group asked towards the reporter. He froze for a moment, suddenly on the spot. Their questions mixed into one another's, the same clutter any celebrity knew all too well.

McQueen backed up as the attention shifted. He took the only chance he was bound to get, pulling away from them as inconspicuously as possible. There was a clatter as he hit a box of tools in the garage behind him.

"Hey! Where are you going?" one of them shouted.

_No… Gah. Fine, I'm going to have to talk about it sometime,_ he thought as the microphones and camera lenses pointed back at him once again.

"What do you know about his retirement? There's been a rumor that he's planning to open a racing school. Is this true?"

"I, uh… I heard something about a racing school this morning. In Radiator Springs, from what I've heard," he responded.

The next question came without a pause. "Radiator Springs, where your racing headquarters is?"

"Yeah, yeah."_Let's get this over with…_

"Any word on the bribery rumors?"

"What? Bribery? By whom?" McQueen asked in surprise. "No, I hadn't heard anything about bribes. I doubt that's true." _How could _that_ be true?_ he thought.

They kept up the questions for another minute or two before moving on to the next racer they could find in the pit garage. Lightning stayed put for a bit, trying to make sense of the new rumors on Michael Schumacher's retirement. _Bribes? How bad do these guys need stories today?_

He shook his head and turned towards the paddocks. There was somebody parked there, waiting for him.

"Hey," McQueen said. "Why are you, uh, down here?"

"I've got the tallies right here!" an excited voice said somewhere beyond the garage. The body of a silver Peugeot came around the corner of the pit building. "Good day, good day!" the Peugeot said, pulling next to the car in front of Lightning. "Excellent turn outs, wonderful merchandise sales. Oh, and wait until you see the ticket reven… Oh," he said, stopping abruptly when he saw McQueen.

The red Fiat Dino parked there gave a little smirk. "Good to see you made it on time, Gerald," the said. "I need you to do me a favor while I get the rest of the press out of the paddocks."

"Hehe, so that's why they left?" McQueen said.

"Yes, sir," Gerald said. "But, what about the reports?"

"I've gotten that worked out," Alonzo responded.

Gerald nodded. McQueen moved closer to the both of them, the general clamor still considerable after the official close of the event.

"McQueen, I need you to follow Gerald into Monza."

"Where?" Lightning and Gerald asked.

"The Ville. It's not too far from here, but I want to get to the bottom of this retirement business before long. I'm sure you do too, McQueen."

"Yeah."

They all paused. Gerald motioned for them to go ahead and go, turning towards the paddock's entrance.

"Hold on Gerald. One last thing," Alonzo said. He turned to back to Lightning, extending a tire. "You raced a whole lot better than I was expecting, McQueen. Congratulations on beating our own Carlo Giordano on the circuit." Lightning offered his tire, meeting Alonzo's, and nodded with a look of satisfaction.

"I didn't think that was going to happen," Alonzo continued, a chuckle from Gerald and himself following. "Too bad you and your town have this Schumacher mess hanging above your heads now; we could have gotten you set up here in Europe for a season or two with that little victory."

"No kidding," Gerald said. Alonzo backed up a bit, turning towards the pit road.

"But for now, we're going to be helping you figure this out. Stay with Gerald for now. I should be meeting up with you two soon enough." Alonzo nodded at both of them and started for the pit road.

"Try to keep up," he said with a wink, moving past McQueen.

McQueen nodded and returned the wink.

"Yeah, yeah," Gerald said, turning around and rolling his eyes. "Come on, McQueen."

The two of them headed out of the paddocks, leaving the still bustling track behind, some of the fans giving the occasional cheer and the groups of reporters and photographers tracking down as many of the other racers as they could find before being flushed out of the garages.

"So, what do you think is going on with this," Lightning asked as they drove over a small mound of snow blocking a side road.

Gerald gave a short laugh. "I wish I knew. Maybe he didn't even retire," he said.

_That would be the day,_ McQueen thought.

The road was unplowed for a mile or so, but they both made their way without a problem. It met up with a larger road, mildly populated with traffic. Gerald led him into the city, keeping to the best-lit areas of the road. The air was moister than it had been in the morning, but uncomfortably frigid with the lack of sunlight.

The Ville turned out to be Hotel de la Ville, as McQueen read it above its main entrance. The building was inviting and luxurious, not to mention large. _This is a whole different league of 'hotel'_, he thought, used to his comfortable place at the Cozy Cone.

"Alright, I'm going to head into the lobby," Gerald said. "You should probably stay out here until Alonzo shows up. Stay out of the spotlight, you know? He shouldn't be long."

Lightning nodded. "That's fine… But I'm coming in if it gets too cold."

Gerald turned and made his way up the hotel's drive and into the building. Lightning moved out from under the streetlamp they had stopped beneath, tucking his tires towards his frame and relaxing. _Staying_ _out of the spotlight_, he thought, letting on a grin.

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**This chapter ended up being both monstrous and really fun to write! As I continue to read more novels and other works, I've been adapting my narration. I'm trying stay both visually adept and conversationally sound, but bring a bit more life to the characters as I was spending more time earlier in the fic. With the race over (for those who loved it, it had to end sometime), it'll be back to character writing.**

**I hope this chapter was as enjoyable to read as it was to write… The story moves on to its next stage. Are you ready?**

**For those who have picked up the story in the last few chapters, I highly recommend reading from the beginning. With the first race completed and Corey up and running again, who knows what will happen? **


	13. Chapter 13

_Sizing the page to the width of the dashes between scenes sets everything back to, more or less, the way it was written. Not totally necessary but I find it keeps the eye going at a steady pace while reading. _

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**Chapter 13**

"How's it look?" Doc asked the two technicians as they were lowering Corey's front end back onto the pavement. Corey's face was pulled into an ecstatic smile, odd to look at as he was floating downwards.

"Well," the talkative technician began, "I couldn't find anything wrong. We both took a look, but… it's set in and shouldn't be a problem for him besides the stiffness. I think the pain should go away within a day or two."

_Looks like this guy got off lucky, _Doc thought. "That's good to hear… So I guess that it for you today, then?" he said, backing up as they pulled the jack out from under Corey.

"That _is_ good to hear," Corey said, turning his front tires left and right now that he was on the ground. "How long will I have to keep myself, uh, restrained?" he asked, turning his front tires left and right gently.

The tech with the jack left the garage and brought it outside. "With that new axle, you shouldn't be limited but for a few days. As long as the settings hold, it's just up to how much dull pain you can take while driving… I don't recommend getting above 70 or so or hitting any bumps," he paused, miming a wince, "I can't imagine what that would feel like," he said.

Doc made his way out the doors, followed by the other tech. Corey stayed in the garage, stretching and moving his joints and axles around like a sprinter preparing for a drag race. "As soon as you're ready, meet me at Flo's," Doc said back at Corey. "We should get some more synthetic oil in you, but that can wait until later." He nodded back in acknowledgement.

Moving away from the doors, Doc met with the two cars parked at the street. They were looking towards the middle of town.

"Folk's lose something?" he asked.

The technician with the jack beside him answered. "Yeah. Our toolbox."

"I wonder what caught his attention this time," the other said.

Doc laughed. "That 'fella, huh? Well, there's only one place around he can be, unless Lizzie's gotten hold of him. Just wait here for a second. He'll be right over," he said, moving past them and driving towards Flo's.

* * *

"Thanks for the help," Sally said from their little gathering on the edge of town. Everyone was lined up next to one another as the ambulance and two technicians made their way out of town, headed towards Flagstaff. 

For such a long day, at least as it felt to Doc and Sally, the sun was still high and the air was still hot and dry as the three of them left Radiator Springs. Sally took a few lengthy breaths and turned back towards town when she couldn't see their bright white frames any longer. _Glad that's over with,_ she thought with much relief, though she didn't head back to the Cozy Cone until everyone else had made their way back into town as well.

Sally drove off into her office and relaxed.

* * *

_It's cold,_ McQueen kept on thinking, still parked outside the Ville Hotel. The temperature hadn't dropped much, but it had dipped just enough for a gentle flurry to begin falling a few minutes after Gerald drove inside. McQueen was still parked a few feet beyond the streetlight on the corner, keeping an eye out for the red frame of Alonzo to appear down the road. 

There were plenty of cars heading up and down the road, but only a few even gave him a glance. _Bribes, huh…_ _Probably just a rumor,_ he thought, eyes following the steady line of vehicles coming his direction. _It'll sure be an interesting few days for Doc, once the reporters start showing up back home._

Given the blank check of time he would be spending parked outside the hotel and the induced numbness he had started to feel on the edges of his tires, he let himself follow along the trail that his last thought had made. But it wasn't long until he had stumbled off the path, drawn towards a different memory.

The edges of his tires starting tingling in the chilly slush underneath him as he watched several more cars pass by. Not spotting Alonzo, he let himself wonder about the fiasco he'd been suddenly introduced to after the race. He didn't stick with that train of though very long, however.

* * *

"It's been five weeks off-season and you're already _this_ out of shape?" Sally asked with a chuckle. The gravel crackled beneath her tires as she stopped in front of the Wheel Well Motor Court, awaiting Lightning beside her. He gave her a slight nudge as he came along beside her. 

"Sally, you know the drill," he said dryly.

She laughed again. "But you can't let me beat you everytime… I don't think that'd be too good for your ego," she said. "And, what if some of the paparazzi caught you losing to your girlfriend?"

They drove to the cliffside as they always seemed to do, taking in a fresh look at Ornament Valley in the afternoon sun. Sally sunk down onto her tires and put on a slight smile as always. Lightning kept glancing towards her as always.

"So, what were you thinking of asking me about up here?" Lightning asked after a few moments passed.

Sally kept her attention on the landscape below. "It's nothing, really. I just… well, you'll see. I can't ask you in town, that's all," she said. Her eyes broke away from the valley and met McQueen's.

"How do you mean?" he asked. The look she just gave him was puzzling.

"No, don't worry Stickers. It's not a big deal, but I… we needed to be up here, away from everyone for me to ask," she said.

It had been five weeks since the end of Lightning's first Piston Cup season. Most of the press had been after Strip Weathers and Doc Hudson, much to his relief, since the Los Angeles race, but he still got stopped for interviews about his racing headquarters from time to time. Doc mentioned a practice schedule to McQueen a few days before but hadn't pressed him about it quite yet.

Lightning let himself focus on scenery again, waiting for Sally to think over or wait for whatever it was she wanted to say. There were a few cars visible, driving in from the west and winding around the Radiator Cap. _I wonder if we have enough rooms today, _he thought. Sally hadn't opened the Wheel Well to full capacity.

"Stickers…" Sally said, letting the word hang for a moment. "I… I need to say this to you in my office," she said.

"Okay," he responded. "Everything's okay, right?"

_I hope that she didn't lose too much business over our trip to Phoenix, _he thought.

Sally pulled away from the cliffs and drove towards her office, McQueen following her close.

The lights came on as Lightning entered the room behind Sally. The room wasn't complete, though it was already in use for the several rooms the two of them had opened up a few weeks before. Sally had kept her desk area organized, but the rest of the room was still packed up in boxes. Only a few yellowed pictures of the 50s era Wheel Well had been unpacked, hanging on the wall around the room. A photo of Sally and Lightning sat upon the desk.

Lightning looked towards Sally for a few seconds. She looked around the room and then back at him with that look she had given him just earlier.

"Stickers… I was just thinking about some things last night," she started as McQueen shut the doors.

"Like what? This isn't about our trip last…" he said.

"No, no… It's just… " she paused. "Lightning, I… I'm in love with you."

_You've told me that before, _he thought in wonder. "I love you too, Sally," he said in return. "But why'd you bring me in…"

"Stickers, I love you and..."

_Sally, just say it. Just ask him. You know he'll…_ she thought nervously.

Lightning started moving towards her with a warm look in his eyes. He was about to try and kiss her when she moved backwards, away from him. Lightning looks completely puzzled.

"No, I just need to know one thing Stickers," Sally said. She paused for a few moments and took in a heavy breath, letting it out slowly and trying to calm her nerves.

"Okay… Here goes."

* * *

"Drink up, drink up. You know I don't mind the business," Flo said with a chuckle, sending Mia to fetch another can of oil from the counter. Corey sat parked alongside Doc on the right side of the Cafe, looking thoroughly relaxed for a car that had just broken his axle in an accident. 

Mia returned from the store behind Flo, carrying another can of oil and bringing it to Corey. "Thanks," he said, taking a sip right away.

Two visiting cars parked across from them were conversing, sharing information about their trips to one another. The sun shone bright and just low enough for everything to begin casting a noticeable shadow. Doc took a drink from his can of heavy oil, surveying the middle of town in the meanwhile.

"So…" Doc started to say, "who's up for leading the Neon cruise tonight? I think I'm gonna have to take the night off and get some sleep."

Sarge and Fillmore shook their heads.

"No thanks."

"Nah, man."

Doc looked over at Flo. "What about you, Flo?"

She shook her head as well. "Sorry, Doc. I don't think I'd be too good at it," she said. Ramone, parked next to Corey and silent thus far, shook his head as well.

Doc took another sip of his oil. "Hmmm," he said. "Well, where's Sally? I'm sure she wouldn't mind. In fact, I'd bet she'd like to do it every so often anyhow." _But if no one'll do it, I guess I will…. Just some lost sleep,_ Doc thought. He looked past the two visitors, still conversing, looking for the bright blue of Sally's body.

Corey broke his attentiveness from his drink as it ran dry, the sound of shrill slurps bringing Mia from the store counter and back to him. "Doc, I think I saw Sally back at the Cozy Cone when we were heading over here. Looked like she was in her office," he said, shaking his head when Mia asked if he wanted another oil. He let out a long-winded breath bordering on a yawn and started stretching his undercarriage. "I need to move around…." he thought out-loud.

"I can go ahead and see if she's still there," Corey said as he finished his stretches. He was the only of them at the Café that was ready to go anywhere at the moment anyhow.

"Sure, why not?" Doc said in return, slumping onto his tires. "And how's about another can of oil?" he said, motioning for one of the twins.

Corey took off quickly, relieved to be moving around after the refreshing, if not excessive, amounts of oil and he had just had at the Café. The rest of them exchanged glances, giving a collective chuckle, as if to say 'He was just in a wreck?', and returning to their drinks.

* * *

Sally looked Lightning in the eyes. 

"Stickers, it's been seven months since you and I started… Well, we've only been on two dates… but since we started dating. So much has happened. There are more new cars here every week than there were the entire time I lived here before you. We've got the Wheel Well reopened… And I can't forget the day you helped everyone out and then got dragged off for the race," she said in a calm and deliberate tone.

McQueen tried to keep a straight face. His mind was spinning as he attempted to guess what Sally was leading him towards. "I can't either," he said.

Sally moved towards him, as close as McQueen had gotten to kiss her.

"Stickers… will you marry me?"

Lightning's pulse accelerated before he could even think. Nothing had prepared him for this. He took in a short breath and nearly coughed in surprise. He remembered the day about a week back that he had planned to propose to Sally. He remembered that it fell through because he couldn't summon the courage to find Sally that day and go on the drive. He remembered the next three days, when she had to go to Flagstaff and renew her business contracts and order more supplies. He thought she had left for good, though he knew that was obviously not the case. His mind had stayed focused on her but he couldn't look past loosing that chance at proposing to her… His attention shot back to Sally as she waited in front of him, giving him that look again. Now he understood.

"I… Sally," he said.

_She figured it out before we got back to town that night… I know her,_ he thought.

Lightning edged forward and kissed Sally lovingly, trying to keep himself from seeming too excited.

"Yes, Sally, of course I will," he said and smiled.

Her face lit up just as he had imagined his own would have if he had asked. She gave him an especially passionate kiss and retreated behind her desk for a moment. There was a bit of shuffling as she looked through her things.

"Just wait," she said. "Here it is."

Sally pushed a small, curved black box towards Lightning.

_She bought me a…_

"Open it," Sally said.

"I can't believe you bought a… a ring… Just so you know, I bought one for you too," McQueen said.

Sally smiled and gave him another look. "Just open it," she said warmly.

Lightning nudged the top off of the box and found himself smiling again.

* * *

The snow under him began melting as Lightning turned his engine over. It had been about twenty minutes with no sign of Alonzo, although McQueen didn't mind at all. He had surprised himself with that memory, losing himself in it. It was a good one. His tires were numb but he didn't mind. 

The snowfall was light and calming, the perfect thing for McQueen to focus on, his eyes following flake after flake down to the ground, as he waited. With his engine running, the cold wasn't such a bother but more a refreshment like he had noticed time and again earlier that day. The cold was welcoming to his warmed cheeks and heated breath.

It wasn't long afterwards, but the Dino arrived, catching Lightning by surprise.

"Hey, McQueen," he said, behind him.

Lightning turned and faced him. "_Ciao_, Alonzo. Glad you made it," he said, not sure whether or not he had sounded sarcastic.

"Let's go on in," Alonzo returned, driving past Lightning, headed for the main drive of the Ville. Lightning nodded and followed him.

The scale of the hotel, although nothing near the enormous size of the speedways he normally raced in the United States, still gave him a sense of awe. Not the awe of seeing the Wheel Well nestled so perfectly within the rock face back in Radiator Springs, hidden from sight but giving a spectacular view of the valley, but an awe of newness and luxury that not even the finest cross-country trailer could inspire. Perhaps it was the fact that just the lobby of the hotel could have comfortably held thirty or forty more rooms than the entire lot of the Cozy Cone itself, or that the Ville's three hundred rooms were all more than twice the size of the generous rooms of the Wheel Well. The cute black BMW coupe receiving each guest may or may not have been a tiny factor as well.

"… you know, I don't think I've ever met a smart SMART car…" Gerald said to the receptionist, who let loose a slight chuckle then regained her composure. He turned from the counter and spied McQueen and Alonzo making their way towards him over the smooth velveted black-top of the lobby. He turned back to the coupe. "What was our room number again?" he asked.

"You're in the driver's suite on the top floor. It doesn't have a number," she said.

"Thanks."

He turned away from the counter and met the other two promptly by the 'up' way.

"Where'd you get us Gerald?" Alonzo asked.

"They had the driver's suite open tonight so I asked them for that," he said, clearing his throat at the end. "We got your discount so it wasn't terrible."

"That's fine, that's fine. Let's just get settled so we can help Mr. McQueen here with all the buzz about Michael Schumacher."

All three of them headed up the spiral driveway to the top floor passing what had to have been increasingly luxurious floors along the way. McQueen stopped for a moment as they reached the top floor, surprised by the sight of a fully carpeted hallway and installed tire-cleaning stations curving the full length of the corridor.

"It's over here," Gerald said, motoring towards the largest doors they could see. McQueen took a glance out the windows before driving inside. It was snowing harder than when he had been waiting for Alonzo. He made his way inside as Gerald closed the doors behind him.

"McQueen," Alonzo started, "I'm pretty sure you're going to want to use the spa before we start looking at all this. It's just inside the doors to your left."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," McQueen said. He pushed through the doorway on his left and was again surprised by the furnishings. His personal trailer spa was nice, but this was something beyond what he'd expected. Floor-mounted scrubbers, vertical body scrubbers, overhead scrubbers, heated massage pads, tire wax, body wax, a windshield cleaner, pressurized air for tires, a grease gun for joints, something that looked like a pipe cleaner—he wasn't quite sure what that was for—and a full sized, multi-jet, movable shower system. All he had to do was park on a moving floor and drive out past the blow dryers at the end.

_Now this… This is what I'm talking about_, he thought, moving onto the conveyor and sinking down onto his tires.

* * *

Sally let a few breaths in and out slowly, keeping her eyes shut and listening to the wind blowing through her office windows. She hadn't done anything since she entered her office an hour earlier. She was trying to keep her mind away from the daily business she had been keeping off to accompany Doc that morning and mid-day, but it just wasn't happening. 

_You never get a day off owning your own motel,_ she thought. She knew there was a small stack of bills and receipt copies from the past day waiting to be recorded sitting in front of her and at the Wheel Well. The work wasn't difficult or lengthy, but it nagged on her at the moment.

It was nearing 3 o'clock and she hadn't had any new customers since the morning._Or was that yesterday… I'll figure it out tomorrow_. She let out another slow breath and shifted herself.

She heard a low rumble approaching from Flo's a few minutes later and decided to open her eyes. Corey was driving up to her office door. The sun was shining brightly off of the burnt orange of his frame.

"Am I interrupting anything?" he asked as he nosed indoors, into the shade.

Sally pulled herself up and shook her head a few times. "No, no… I'm just worn out after last night and today. I've got some things to take care of before it gets too late, but I needed the rest," she said.

Corey waited a few moments before moving completely into the office. Sally moved around from her desk and let out a yawn. "Doc wanted to know if you would lead the cruise tonight," he said.

Sally made a discontented face but let it slip away. _I figured he might ask, but he was up getting Corey out of the Cone last night,_ she thought. She looked out the windows towards Flo's.

"Yeah, yeah. I can do it," she said. Sally was already turning back to her desk. She picked up a few things from underneath it and set them besides her other papers.

"Alright. I'll go let him know," Corey said, turning himself around to drive out the door. He stopped before making a full turn. "There was, well, no. I forgot."

He started off again. "Wait," Sally said. Corey backed himself around until he could see Sally behind her desk. "If Doc said it you should probably tell me."

Corey nodded. "Well, actually, it wasn't something Doc said… I just wanted to say thank you for helping me out with my wreck and all. I didn't get a chance to say anything to you until now," he said. "That was all… I'm gonna head back to Flo's and tell Doc you'll take over for him."

He turned himself around again and drove out of the office rather candidly. Sally turned her attention to the business in front of her and got to work.

* * *

A few flashes of light coming from outside caught Sally's eye a few minutes later. A small teal-colored coupe and several larger vans were making their way into town. She turned herself back to the slightly smaller bunch of papers she was sifting through and accounting. 

Two smaller cars passed by a minute or so afterwards, followed by another accompaniment of vans. She ignored these, looking to push through the work as quick as she could. There was a slight chatter coming from Flo's but she figured it was only talk about Corey or the twins getting into a heated discussion about McQueen. _Teenage girls…_

Sally looked up from her desk and watched another small band of cars pass by, not taking notice of her 'vacancy' sign or glancing at the Cozy Cone like most travelers did. It was another group of two small cars and a few vans. _That's weird,_ she thought. _Déjà vu?_

"Wait a minute," she said. _That first one… Was that Kori Turbowitz?_

Sally sped around her desk and looked out her office doors towards Flo's. A group of cars circled by vans holding cameras and a/v equipment were parked in the middle of Flo's diner.

"Great, what's this?" she said to herself. _Journalists haven't stormed out here since we reopened the Well. What is this about?_

Sally moved out onto the road and started approaching the now clamorous gathering.

* * *

"Wow… that was amazing," Lightning said, letting the last few specks of water drip off of his sides. "I need to get one of these in Radiator Springs." 

McQueen drove back into the room and found Gerald and Alonzo watching the television. They had an interested look on their faces.

"Where is that?" he asked. He looked and only heard rapid-fire Italian coming from the news anchor, commenting on some video footage.

Alonzo spoke up. "Something in Bologna… it's not about Schumacher," he said.

"Have they said anything about him yet?"

"No," Gerald said. "I'd get comfortable before too long. It takes forever for the news to get around to their earlier stories if they're not about Milan or Ferrari," he added, letting out a chuckle.

Lightning shrugged and moved himself to one side of the room, driving onto a plush collection of mats and sinking down a little bit. _I wonder how much of this is true… Probably the racing school, but bribes? That's silly. He makes too much from winnings to take a bribe_, McQueen thought.

"_…finalmente, il autista leggendamente, _Michael Schumacher_, annuncia su ritara oggi…_" the anchor began, catching all three car's attention. Alonzo and Gerald began listening attentively but the quick speaking left Lightning behind.

He did, however, take notice of the scenery playing in the box besides the news anchor. A flash of desert shrubbery and a small collection of buildings in the distance showed up first. Then, a dark olive-colored Jeep and fluorescent VW bus parked side by side and being interviewed appeared. A few quick cuts of the Radiator Cap and the Casa Della Tires jumped across the screen soon after.

"Alonzo, Gerald… That's Radiator Springs!" he said in surprise.

Doc Hudson appeared next on the video reel, playing with the audio.

"No, I hadn't heard anything," he said. "We're way out here and you're saying he announced it today? Yesterday? News doesn't travel that fast to us unless you guys show up," he said.

The broadcast continued but Alonzo and Gerald turned away from the screen.

"What'd they say?" McQueen asked.

* * *

Doc spotted Sally heading his way. He was already on camera and being asked questions. 

"No, I hadn't heard anything," he said.

The group was asking Sarge and Fillmore a few questions but they'd be just as unknowledgeable as the rest of the town. Kori Turbowitz was directly in front of him, still spouting questions.

"Doc? What's going on?" he heard Sally ask, barely hearing it over the growing commotion. She was driving towards him, heading through some of the other interviews on her way.

"We're way out here and you're saying he announced it today?" Doc asked.

"Well, yesterday in Italy. It was technically today in the US," Kori said quietly, away from the microphone.

"Yesterday? News doesn't travel that fast to us unless you guys show up," he added. "I've got no idea what you're asking me about. Turn that camera off."

"Doc, hey. What's going on?" Sally asked as she pulled up to him. Kori made a frustrated face and motioned for the cameramen to back away.

* * *

Lightning glanced back at the screen before the others responded. He'd seen Doc's eyes following something off camera and thought about it just after his question. Kori popped into full view as the cameramen behind her pulled back. A sleek, light blue Porsche drove up to Doc Hudson. Lightning's heartbeat picked up in moments. 

_Sally! _

* * *

** AN:**

**This chapter has been ages in the making. It's only received one rewrite but due to time issues from college, it took this long to get it all back together. I've got alot going on in this chapter... With the race over and the controversy of Schumacher hitting close to home for Lightning (as well an interesting look at a fond memory of his), things will only seem to get more chaotic.**

**Please read and review! I've put a great amount of effort into this chapter and after so long on hiatus. All comments are welcome and appreciated!**

**Chapter 14 COMING SOON... **


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